FALL/WINTER MAGAZINE 2019-2020
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PEDITION DAYS
Classrooms can't contain us! Lower School Expedition Days, or XDays, are a dynamic part of the Lower School's new schedule. On these days, our students participate in field work, both on and off campus, exploring the world around them, collaborating with students in other grades, and benefiting from the tremendous and creative partnership between our grade-level teachers and our special teachers, i.e. music, art, P.E., science, religion, and world languages. So far this year on XDays, our students have gone on math explorations with seventh graders, visited Old Town for an archaeological discovery, experienced a walking tour of local businesses, and enjoyed art explorations at a number of museums and galleries. www.sssas.org | 3
WHAT'S INSIDE
F E AT U R E S
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Saints Explore Bay Tributaries
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Inspired by the Bay
Three Alumni Share their Journeys: Chris Beveridge '06, Danielle Mayall '11, and Jeff Flood '07
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Girl Scouts at SSSAS: An 86-Year Tradition
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Speak Your Story, Sing Your Song
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Carol Huh '90
to the Freer | Sackler
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Our Place on This Earth: A Ninth Grade Day of Discovery
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Joining Our Boards in 2019-2020
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“As You Like It”
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ON THE COVER:
Students at the Middle School are loving their new playground equipment! Front and back cover photographs by Laura Hatcher Photography
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A River Runs Through Us
Working on the Upper School Literary Magazine
Bringing Contemporary Asian Art
The Upper School Fall Production
D E PA RT M E N TS 6 Headliner 36
An Episcopal School
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Saints in Action
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Saints Athletics
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Alumni Connections
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Milestones & In Memoriam
THE MAGAZINE
FALL/WINTER 2019-2020 Head of School Kirsten Prettyman Adams Director of Communications Jen Desautels Editor Director of Design & Production Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Design Jameson Bloom '13 Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Amy Waggoner Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing Mandi Sapp
40 Face-to-Face with Our Faculty
Communications & Admissions Associate Marcia Mallett Alumni News Advancement Office Photographers Jameson Bloom '13 Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 Marcia Mallett Printer Master Print
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Questions/Comments Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 mmaas@sssas.org To Update Your Contact Information or Mailing Preferences Please email atoman@sssas.org or call 703-212-2720. Published by SSSAS for alumni, current parents, friends, and other regularly supportive members of the school community. Š 2020 St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.
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HEADLINER
One Saint. We are a community of different perspectives, and it is those perspectives which make us St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School. Our Episcopal identity calls us to love one another and care for one another every day, not just when we are in agreement with one another. Head of School Kirsten Adams shared the following remarks at the school's annual JK-12 Thanksgiving service, reminding each of us of the school's mission to love each member of this community as a child of God. I have been blessed to be surrounded by amazing teachers my whole life. Starting with my mom who taught math at a community college for 30 years, and when I was a student, my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Ritter and my biology teacher Mrs. Thompson. I have been surrounded by amazing teachers at the schools where I have served, and here at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, there is no doubt that I am surrounded by amazing teachers every day. I am sure you can each think of amazing teachers you have known. This story is about one of the best teachers I have ever known. This story is about a man named Edward Magoba, a bus driver at the first school at which I worked. Some of the Upper School students may know Mr. Magoba because he was always on the sidelines of the National Cathedral sporting contests, cheering passionately with his beautiful Ugandan lilt. I can still hear his voice shouting “Go NCS. Go Cathedral.” He also would say to the opposing team “Good game, girls, “ even when they beat his beloved Eagles. I worked with Mr. Magoba for 10 years when I was a teacher and coach at National Cathedral School. We lost touch when I moved away from Washington. During my first year at SSSAS, I was down on the sidelines of a field hockey game whenI heard Mr. Magoba cheering on NCS. I walked over ready to say, “Hi Edward, you probably do not remember me, but I worked with you 15 years ago.” But as I walked up and before I could say hello, Edward looked me in the eye and said, “Is that really you? Kirsten, is that really you?” I was floored. How in the world did Edward remember me— someone who worked with him more than 15 years ago? Mr. Magoba treated everyone that way. No matter your politics or your position, Mr. Magoba treated you like you were his family. He made you feel like you were the only person present on the planet. “Is that really you?” You felt like you were special to Edward when you were with him. A former colleague said “Edward was unique in his ability to absorb and reflect the happiness around him.” He brought joy to every situation—even the hard ones. 6 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
In a world that is becoming increasingly divided, Mr. Magoba was a connector. Whether you stood on the same side of an issue with him or across the aisle, he was on your team. He listened and learned and disagreed, but he was always on your team. Our reading today says: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Mr. Magoba never gave up on meeting together. Even if you hurt him, or said something wrong, he was on your team and was always encouraging. In today's world, we are quick to cancel each other. We unfriend people on Facebook with whom we disagree. We ignore a friend who hurt our feelings. We would just rather not have to deal with the differences or disagreements. Our athletics theme is “One Saint” and I love this. I love this community because we often disagree. We have different perspectives, and while sometimes it is hard, I want this to be a place where we can passionately disagree with each other and still be part of one saint. Staying in a community is sometimes harder than giving up on it, but we are committed to being One Saint together. Mr. Magoba died earlier this year and his memorial service was held in the National Cathedral, a space that holds thousands of people and where presidents have their funerals. The cathedral was packed to the gills. Colleagues came from out of town or other schools to show their love for Edward Magoba. Mr. Magoba was a man who through his humble gratitude for those around him, changed the world. During the remembrances, one of his colleagues shared that Mr. Magoba was the best teacher National Cathedral School ever had. She was right. He may not have been preparing students for an AP Exam or the next grade level. Instead, he was teaching students how to live their lives every day. He taught us all the gift of humility and the way you can impact those around you by keeping everyone on your team no matter what. I am thankful for the impact Mr. Magoba had on my life. I think about what I learned from him and what I hope you might learn from Mr. Magoba. The first lesson is that you can make every person feel important and special by just seeing them. You can put others before yourself by agreeing to love them even when you disagree, and you can change the world by holding firming onto a community strengthened by different perspectives.
“Staying in a community is sometimes harder than giving up on it, but we are committed to being One Saint together.�
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A RIVER RUNS THROUGH US Saints Explore Bay Tributaries
BY BRIAN KANE Director of Environmental Stewardship
ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGIA STANKO '22
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View of the Potomac River from the Lower School in the 1930s
The study of water, and human impacts on its quality, figure large within the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School curriculum and activities. Just two miles from the Lower School campus, the Potomac River—and the receiving Chesapeake Bay—influence teaching and learning across all campuses, and both inspire the school's field-based learning.
At the Lower School, from where the Potomac is visible to the east, the second grade classes integrate a year long study of water in its curriculum beginning with stormwater, and them moving to drinking water. As a way to study the path of water to the river, second grade students explore storm drains and gutters across the Lower School campus and pay attention to the direction that water flows across the surfaces. They examine the campus bioretention areas to study other ways that stormwater is absorbed or channeled off campus.
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During a recent Expedition Day (Xday), this fall, second graders took a morning to travel to their campus's watershed. They traveled to Timber Branch, walked along its wooded length, searched for stormwater outfall pipes, looked for the largest trees (including the city champion Tulip Poplar), and also checked the woods and stream for litter. They were asked to be silent and to listen to the flowing stream, as well as for the calls of various birds. Mary Jane Pessaud, second grade team leader, noted, “We want students to understand the importance of water protection and conservation in their daily lives.”
Association to construct molds to build oyster reefs in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters, known for their ability to filter up to 60 gallons of water daily, are critical to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the second grade took on this project, aided by connections of Kevin O'Donovan, a member of the board of the Coastal Conservation Foundation and father of Grace O'Donovan '29.
Students later plan to venture to the Potomac River's Dyke Marsh near Old Town Alexandria and possibly the Chesapeake Bay in the spring. The spring semester furthers the study of water as it undertakes a unit on drinking water and the need for civilizations to have and to protect clean water.
“Giving young students an opportunity to learn about their role in keeping a healthy Chesapeake Bay is wonderful,” said Kevin O'Donovan. “Everything from being mindful of plastics and the use of fertilizers to the fish habitat and oyster restoration project in which they participated.” While our Saints were the youngest ever to embark on the oyster reef mold casting project, they successfully formed and cast over 14 artificial reef to be dropped into Bay tributaries, where they will provide a platform for the growth of oyster spat into a thriving oyster reef over time. “What I learned was that the younger kids are more than capable of understanding the science and helping with the building process,” Kevin said.
Earlier this year, second grade students partnered with the Coastal Conservation
Fourth grade students study watershed and waterways in science and social
“Students observed where the stormwater from the Lower School goes when it rains. They learned the importance of picking up any and all trash so that it doesn't end up in our streams,” Mary Jane added.
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studies, which culminates in a boat excursion on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers). The April trip aboard a Chesapeake Bay Foundation learning vessel allowed students a first-hand look at the recovery efforts on the Potomac River, and included taking water samples, performing chemical tests, and using charts as a navigation aid. Students delighted when a large net—permitted for educational purposes—retrieved more than a dozen species of fish at the end of the trip and they then were asked to study and differentiate these based on structure, color, and size. The river guide explained that two decades ago, the nets brought up only two to three species. “Giving children a hands-on activity to learn is the best way to engage them,” said Fourth Grade teacher Erin Lee. Beth Barrow, team leader for fourth grade, added, “The students loved working together cooperatively to pull in the nets. It was a day they will never forget!” “I didn't expect to see so many kinds of fish on the trip!” Reagan Hickok '27 said as the crew pulled up nearly a dozen species of fish. “I learned that I have to be more careful about trash and recycling, so that I do not put plastic in the water. It was really fun and I would definitely recommend it to this year's fourth graders!”
The Middle School features a science curriculum that includes the hydrologic cycle and gives close attention to the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay. Both sixth and eighth grade curriculums feature units of learning on land, water, and communities related to the Bay, in recognition of their close relationships. Middle School Science Teacher Kelley Gorman said, “If our students understand just one thing about watersheds from their Middle School experience, I hope it would be that every part of a watershed is interconnected and interdependent. Each action we take has an impact on the land, air, water, flora, and fauna—so if we can take positive action, the benefits are wide-ranging.” Students are given multiple opportunities at the Middle School to experience the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, first in a series of one-day trips on the Anacostia, the Potomac, the South River in Annapolis, or on the Bay itself. In the annual March mini-course to Smith Island, Va., and Tangier Island, Md., in the Chesapeake Bay, students stay four days to be totally immersed in life on an island, including a zerowaste existence. Kelley explains, “By taking our middle schoolers to these waterman communities each spring,
we provide a unique opportunity for students to empathize with the struggles these islanders face. The impacts of climate change are dramatic on these disappearing islands: eroding land, warming waters, increased eutrophication, smaller seafood harvests, and more.” Since the program's start, more than 1,200 Middle School students have made the Tangier or Smith Island trip. On the course, students perform water tests in the Bay's waters, forage through marshes, clean debris from the water, and observe abundant waterfowl on these islands. Since the 1990s, SSSAS students have constructed more than 55 osprey stands in Alexandria, and then mounted them in various locations on the islands, to permit osprey to nest and raise their offspring safely off the ground. Gabriella Miller Milow '24 remembers that the children on Tangier went to school on a boat. “Life there is more isolated, there aren't as many people, or as much technology, but kids play outside more than they do here,” recalled Gabriella. “It made you realize how different people's lives are there on the island. When you are on that island, you begin to understand that full experience.”
“Students live with Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientists, who teach them about actions we can all take to reduce our environmental impact, such as turning off lights, reducing excess food waste, composting, and reducing water use,” Kelley said. “ As our students live in and explore everything the islands have to offer, they gain not only an appreciation for the beauty and interconnectedness of the natural world, but also the role that our actions have on the ecosystems and residents of the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.” One of those actions is the Middle School's adoption of Lucky Run, a stream one-half mile from the Middle School which runs to Four Mile Run. Since 2017, the Middle School students have cleaned Lucky Run of hundreds of discarded plastic bottles, household debris, furniture, and discarded household objects. Each trip removes between 200 and 300 pounds of debris from the stream. In 2019 alone, Saints have retrieved more than 650 pounds of litter. Eighth grade science students also study the water quality and the organisms that are living in the stream. Middle School Science Teacher and Coordinator Robert Davis noted, “The water quality results
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were a very surprising mix and very different from the open water of the Chesapeake. For example, the dissolved oxygen and clarity of the water were very healthy, but the amount of garbage was much higher than expected.” Working within one-half mile of the Middle School, adds value. “Students were studying topics that were close to home, important to them, and tangible,” Robert said. Kelley said, “When students begin to see how small changes throughout a watershed can add up to significant improvements for wildlife and ourselves, it helps them gain even more appreciation for the importance of local clean-up efforts such as those at Lucky Run.” At the Upper School, students continue water-based exploration, also adopting its local watershed Strawberry Run, which they clean and walk through every several months. In addition, students on the Green Leadership Council have participated in City of Alexandria weekend clean ups, and are surprised by the quantity of trash that they continually find along the Potomac and other waterways, particularly plastic water bottles. The Upper School curriculum offers field-based experiences in the classes such as Wetlands Biology.
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“We start out the year doing a map activity where students are given a list of local cities and rivers and they have to find those on a satellite map of the Chesapeake Bay,” Upper School Science Teacher Ted Yoder explains. “During the exercise, the students are a bit surprised at the vast land area that serves as a watershed to the Bay. Visible signs of sedimentation from the satellite view of the lower Potomac are also a sobering reminder of the effects of local land use.” The students then visit nearby waterways, including Lucky Run, to perform macroinvertebrate analysis. “When streams are affected by stormwater run-off, many of these sensitive larvae disappear, replaced by tolerant species such as leeches and flatworms,” Ted said. “This activity directly ties local neighborhood land use to stream quality and raises the awareness with students on how their daily activities affect the local environment.” St. Stephen's and St. Agnes will continue its study and experiences along the waterways of the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay as Saints learn more about their ecology and their relationships to the land and human activities. Such understandings are critical to the survival of these defining natural features into the decades that lie ahead.
FUN FACTS AND STATS Our school's
49 55 More than
3
acres lie within the
14,670acre Potomac River watershed.
osprey stands in the Chesapeake Bay over the past 20 years have been erected by our Middle School students.
separate streams in Alexandria that total a length of 1.6 miles are taken care of by SSSAS.
More than
1,200
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Middle School students have visited the Chesapeake Bay islands since the Middle School's mini course began.
oyster reef molds were constructed by second grade students to help foster the growth of oyster reefs in Chesapeake Bay tributaries.
More than
650 128
pounds of litter has been retrieved by Middle School students in 2019 from Lucky Run, just a short walk from its campus.
pounds of litter have been removed by Upper School students from a 0.4-mile segment of Strawberry Run over the last two years.
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INSPIRED BY THE BAY Three Alumni Share Their Journeys BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS '76 Director of Design & Production, Editor
The Chesapeake Bay has always played a significant role in Chris' life, and he remembers his time in the Middle School fondly. “I particularly enjoyed the science classes and field trips focused on Chesapeake Bay,” he recalls. “My Saints education prepared me to excel as an environmental science major with a minor in history. I am very proud of the emphasis that SSSAS places on learning about local Chesapeake Bay and global environmental issues.” A combination of education and experience with the environment fueled his lifelong dedication to solving environmental issues. “I recalled learning about shoreline restoration in my Middle School science class years later, when I saw firsthand a project completed along areas of the Chesapeake Bay,” Chris said. Once he learned that his love of the Chesapeake and some of his hobbies could earn him a degree, he was hooked.
Chris Beveridge '07 On the Forefront of Renewable Energy Chris Beveridge '07 spent the majority of his childhood exploring the wonders of nature and has always felt at home in the outdoors. Chris' great-grandfather built a fishing cabin at the mouth of the Piankatank River where it meets the Rappahannock River in Deltaville, Va., which his family has enjoyed for generations. One of his favorite places on earth, his cherished memories from time spent on the Bay have instilled a deep appreciation and respect for the unique ecosystem in Virginia. “Catching frogs in the forest creeks behind my house sparked a passion for the environment and St. Stephen's and St. Agnes fostered my curiosity and desire to explore the Chesapeake Bay,” Chris said. “SSSAS encouraged me from an early age to consider the wide range of environmental issues and possible solutions.”
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“In college, I gained classroom and field experience in the thousands of acres of land at Sewanee through an environmental managerial and restorative lens. I was eager to take advantage of the educational resources from Sewanee's unique ecosystems and geology. Classes such as anthropology, archaeology, geology, forestry, and public speaking have all been educational stepping stones on the path toward a career in environmental business. After graduating, Chris headed to Sewanee: The University of the South to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and the Environment. “I was drawn to the Natural Resources Program at Sewanee because it was an interdisciplinary environmental major that provided coursework in forestry, geology, and a broad range of other
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classes,” Chris explained. “Sewanee also has one of the largest campuses in acreage—the Domain—in the entire United States.” Sewanee offered Chris an amazing opportunity to explore the environment. The Cumberland Plateau has one of the most biologically diverse freshwater stream systems in the temperate world. It is also a global hotspot for amphibian and terrestrial snail diversity, and it contains some of the most diverse plant communities in the U.S. “For someone who enjoys being in nature, this was an unparalleled outdoor 'living laboratory' classroom including caves, lakes, old growth forests, and some of the most unique ecological communities on earth,” Chris said. “The Sewanee Herbarium has catalogued over 1,100 species of vascular plants on the Domain!” During college Chris gained field experience with environmental management practices that have served him in his current position as an environmental specialist with Dominion Energy, Corporate Environmental Services in Richmond, Va. “Since starting my career at Dominion Energy, I have been a member of numerous teams within Environmental Services,” Chris said. “I was afforded the opportunity to work for programs such as air emissions and environmental compliance data management. Flexibility and a willingness to be trained in new fields has been key in my environmental science career.” As an environmental specialist Chris provides land disturbance and water support for environmental compliance, permitting, and data systems management. His department is organized by environmental media (air, biology, oil, land disturbance, policy, tribal, waste, and water). Chris and his colleagues consult on operations, construction, procedures, records, and training to ensure compliance with environmental requirements prescribed in laws, regulations and company
I am eager to be part of the solution toward a cleaner, smarter and more secure energy future.
policies. “We oversee environmental topics for all areas of our company, including renewables (solar, wind, hydroelectric), power generation stations (nuclear, natural gas, coal and oil), gas transmission and distribution, electric transmission and distribution, office buildings, information technology microwave towers, and privatization projects at government military bases,” Chris said. Typically, they are in the office 50 to75 percent of the time and out in the field supporting projects the rest of our time. ”A day in the field could be vetting a potential new property for solar development or visiting a new office building or a solar array construction project” Chris said. “If I am lucky enough, I may spend the day with our biology team conducting studies on fisheries at a nuclear power plant.” For Chris, the growth of renewable energy is one of the most fascinating fields and he is excited to be working for a company on the forefront of renewable energy in the USA. “Ensuring environmental compliance by minimizing environmental impacts is an essential job in the world today and I am eager to be part of the solution toward a cleaner, smarter and more secure energy future,” Chris enthused. “Renewable energy, battery storage, smart homes, robotics and drones are some technologies that improve our environmental sustainability every day.” Next year, Dominion Energy is partnering with local Virginia school districts to replace diesel school buses with new electric buses. These electric buses also act as portable batteries to
provide stability to the energy grid or mobile power stations. What does Chris think is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today? “Unfortunately, there are far too many environmental problems facing us today,” Chris began. “Reducing the human footprint is one of the greatest obstacles that businesses and individual people tackle every day. Protecting and properly managing our natural resources is essential in order to live on a healthy earth.” Chris is passionate about pollinators and thrilled that Dominion Energy's habitat and wildlife protection program is converting open space land to pollinator habitat. “The program alters mowing practices to encourage growth of native plants,” he explained. “Our reliance on fossil fuels and disposal of waste are other critical issues that we will continue to battle.” Chris feels that improved renewable energy options will be key in supplying clean energy to the world. “Waste contaminates our air, soil, and water and we must continue to find alternatives for non-sustainable products,” he said. “Composting organic waste, applying zero-landfill policies and other innovative solutions will reduce our waste so we can keep breathing fresh air and drinking clean water.” Chris feels that students today should take a broad range of classes that may open their eyes to a field they never knew existed and that they should continue learning and educating others to find solutions to achieve environmental sustainability. “Students should take responsibility in their environmental footprint,” Chris said. “Every human has a duty to respect the environment. Utilizing energy efficiency techniques and sustainable practices will make the world better for everyone.”
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“It was my time at SSSAS that deepened my interest, gave me invaluable hands-on experience, and incredible role models to learn from.”
Ames with kickstarting her involvement with the Environmental Club and Sustainability Committee. “Ms. Joyce and Ms. Ames played a huge role in my involvement and helped me with all my leadership roles, for which I am forever grateful!” Danielle continued. “Ms. Julie Krane brought so much knowledge and love for the environment into her AP Environmental Science class that she inspired me to want to take more initiative in seeking extracurriculars and activities to engage with, as well as getting more students interested in exploring environmental awareness.”
Danielle Mayall '11 Making the Most of Every Opportunity Danielle Mayall '11 is passionate about the environment, policy, food, and helping others. Born in Switzerland to Brazilian and Peruvian parents, she was aware of the environmental issues happening in the Amazon from an early age. Her mother, Susana Carrillo, was a diplomat, so Danielle spent much of her childhood moving around the world. This extraordinary exposure to different cultures and countries heightened her awareness of global environmental and cultural diversity issues. When she entered St. Stephen's and St. Agnes in ninth grade, she brought her energy and enthusiasm with her. She joined the French Club, Dance Club, and the Environmental Club. “I was conscious of environmental stewardship, but it was my time at SSSAS that deepened my interest, gave me invaluable hands-on experience, and incredible role models to learn from,” Danielle said. “I was motivated by what older students had started and the encouragement I received from the faculty—not to mention the support the school was providing to develop new ideas and projects. SSSAS helped our ideas come to fruition, such as our recycling and food waste initiatives, the institution of 'healthy' vending machines, and much more!” Danielle credits Jillian Joyce, former Upper School history teacher and sustainability coordinator, and Upper School Librarian Joyce
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In addition to what she was learning inside the classroom, Danielle clearly remembers her experiences outside the classroom. “I had so many amazing teachers who extended our learning with field trips to the Chesapeake and Potomac River watersheds, and who encouraged me to continue to pursue environmental awareness activities outside of the classroom,” Danielle explains. “I was selected to represent SSSAS at various national conferences, and worked with the Alexandria community and environmental associations to raise funds and hold events in supporting various environmental causes. “My friends were also huge influences and were very supportive—even if they weren't quite tree huggers like me—they came and participated in all the school activities we organized,” she recalls. “I even remember getting together with a big crew to attend an anti-fracking rally on the White House lawn! Great times!” Danielle became the president of the Environmental Club and sat on the school's Sustainability Committee as a student member. She was involved with one of the committee's greatest undertakings, the annual Students for Sustainability Conference (S4S). “I was amazed that SSSAS created and hosted a regional conference dedicated to sustainability. Students came from schools throughout the local area
to participate in hands-on workshops and listen to speakers who were leaders in their field,” Danielle said. “That conference and all the other opportunities the school offered me inside and outside the classroom convinced me I wanted to pursue environmental studies in college. I was reading more and was so excited that I wanted to focus my work and activities towards making an impact!” Danielle hit the ground running at Duke University, studying for a bachelor's degree in environmental science and policy with a concentration on food systems. “I was so lucky that Duke already had amazing environmental initiatives and opportunities to offer, and was very open to making changes to infrastructure and instituting new programs,” Danielle said. Her freshman year she immediately became part of the Duke Environmental Alliance, where she served as the chair for the food sustainability related initiatives and the Campus Dorm Eco Reps, a group committed to raising awareness and holding events to make the dormitories as sustainable as possible—including everything from energy to recycling to food to even decorating. She also served as a member of the Real Food Campaign, a nationwide sustainable food initiative. “We worked with them to change campus eateries, and with the Duke campus farm to bring as much local and organic products as possible for Duke students,” Danielle said. In her later years at Duke, she became the campus director for 2Degrees Food, a nutrition bar that started in California. “They had a onefor-one initiative—for every bar you buy, they donate a nutrition pack to a child in need,” Danielle said. “ I also occasionally published content for the DukeBITE Food Magazine.” In addition to her activities on campus, Danielle became involved with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Tunza Youth Strategy, a longterm strategy for engaging young people in environmental activities and in the work on UNEP. “Tunza” is a Kiswahili word that means “to treat with care or affection.” The overall Tunza Concept aims to create a global movement in which children actively participate in sustainable development. “I joined the
United UNEP Tunza Youth Strategy as the regional director of North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., and worked on various government/policy initiatives as well as creating community based action networks,” Danielle said. “As part of them I attended the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and served on the U.N. Major Groups for Youth and Children Caucus; it was an incredible experience because I met other youth leaders from all around the world and we had discussions and panels around policy, reform, community initiatives and much more!” Danielle also managed to squeeze in a six-month study abroad opportunity in Australia at the University of Queensland. “Australia is an incredible country from the raw nature and beaches to the positivity and carefree energy of the Aussies themselves! I was lucky to have a great environmentally focused program at UQ, where I was able to take a range of classes from marine science to Australian environmental policy.” She also had the chance to spend a week researching at their Moreton Bay research station in North Stradbroke Island and learn about the challenges facing their unique estuary ecosystem. She cherishes her memories of visiting the amazing Australian beaches and rainforests and event scuba-diving in the Great Barrier Reef. After graduating from Duke, Danielle pursued a variety of opportunities, but felt she needed a break from policy related work. She moved to Chicago and worked in the food industry. At the same time, she joined the Young Professionals Council through the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “I missed the involvement in politics and current affairs and wanted to meet other people who worked in those areas to exchange ideas and maybe see if I wanted to go back to work in policy,” Danielle said. “I was chosen as a Young Professional Ambassador to represent the think tank at various events and we lead a young professional network where we hosed events, panels, etc.” During this time Danielle was working for a market research firm that encompasses environment, health and wellness, food, and beauty. As she was analyzing
consumer trends for the big consumer packaged goods industry leaders, she became more interested in the psychology and human behavior and side of things. Today she is a Fulbright Scholar working in clinical psychology research in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. “Although I am extremely passionate about the environment, I ultimately decided I wanted to do something different with my career,” Danielle said. “My work with psychology is more clinically based, working with anxiety and other personality disorders, but one of the main reasons I choose to go this way, was that I was still going to be able to incorporate my passion for food and policy working with nutrition and healthy food access initiatives around mental health.” What does Danielle think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us today? “This is such a hard question because sadly, there are so many different directions we could go in … and because I want to stay positive, lets focus on what environmental challenge I think can truly be “solved”—food systems,” Danielle said. “From fostering more awareness, empathy, and care in people to changing production and distribution structures to creating policies around food access … there are so many amazing, effective and relatively quick ways that we can work on lessening our damage and creating a more sustainable framework for the future.” Danielle's advice to students today is to realize that change starts at the individual level and that anyone can make an impact. “Just because I don't work in environmental policy, doesn't mean I have stopped being an environmentalist and contributing to our society and earth for positive change,” Danielle said. “You need to learn from different perspectives and respect the ideas of others around you, and you can still contribute in your day-to-day life without having to identify fully with the cause. Take advantage of every experience and opportunity that is presented and always be open to trying something new … growth is only possible when you step outside of your comfort zone!”
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The Coastal Society, an organization dedicated to bringing coastal and ocean professionals together. “I remember listening to conference calls in the background while I was playing with G.I. Joes in my mom's home office!” he recalls. “So you could say that I was indirectly immersed in coastal-speak going way back.” Jeff's first actual career connection began as a Saint with his senior project, during which he developed a coastal career survey with the advice of a contact at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “I learned the interdisciplinary educational requirements and experience necessary to work in the environmental policy field, knowledge I've directly put to use in working my way toward my current position,” Jeff said. “These lessons, such as having a strong scientific understanding of issues before creating policy as well as being able to translate science into layman's terms to educate the public still guide my decision-making today.”
Jeff Flood '06 Striving To Make a Difference Every Day Jeff Flood '06 loves the water. He's most at home kayaking in a salt marsh or charter fishing for mahi-mahi or tuna in the Gulf Stream off of Hatteras, N.C. It's no surprise that his life path has led him into coastal planning, as he was born into a family that cares deeply about the environment,particularly the policy, communication, and educational aspects issues related to the coast. From the time he was little, Jeff's mother, Judith Tucker, took him on nature trips and to museums and aquariums. “I was involved in Coastal Cleanups along the Parkway at an early age,” Jeff recalls. “My family vacationed in the Outer Banks almost every year from age six through high school. That's where I developed a love for the outdoors, specifically coastal areas.” His father, Randolph Flood, served on the Environmental and Public Works committee as a young Senate staffer and was involved in drafting the Clean Water Act in the 1970s. “He definitely taught me a lot about history and politics,” Jeff said. His mother still works for
18 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
Jeff's path to understanding and evaluating environmental issues was reinforced and impacted in other ways at SSSAS. “Upper School Science Teacher Anna Vascott was a great AP environmental science teacher, helping me see the watershed view of how ecosystems function,” Jeff said. “Upper School History Teacher Jan Jacobs challenged me in AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government to be a better, more succinct writer.” This instruction helped prepare Jeff for technical writing for work and academic publications, and gave him the ability to change styles to fit a given audience. “I didn't know it at the time, but that flexibility in writing style has been a huge benefit throughout my career!” After graduating from SSSAS, Jeff headed to St. Mary's College of Maryland where his studies crossed swords with playing Division III varsity lacrosse. “Despite my exposure to and passion for all things coastal, I had always strongly disliked chemistry and math and I was now also preoccupied with 'majoring' in Division III varsity lacrosse,” Jeff said. Things came to a head in sophomore year, when a heavy biology, chemistry, and calculus course load really proved too much with the rigorous athletic commitment. He decided to pick his GPA over lacrosse and transferred to University of North Carolina – Wilmington (UNCW) where he could apply himself to studying marine biology. “Biochemistry of sharks seemed much more appealing than plain old biochemistry!” he said.
“
At UNCW he started to excel at the more applied marine biology classes, held jobs in multiple labs to put his knowledge to work, and did research for several professors which ultimately resulted in two journal publications. Jeff also realized he wanted to pursue a policy career and not stay in the biology research realm so he landed summer internships with the MississippiAlabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Office of U.S. Senator Jim Webb (VA), and later locally with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management.
When he graduated in 2010, the economy was not a friendly place for recent graduates without a master's degree. He was fortunate to attain an entry-level position with an environmental consulting firm in Williamsburg, Va., knowing it was a time in which doctoral graduates were competing for the same type of job. While 90% of the work was not related to coastal policy, he gained a lot of “soft” professional skills for threeplus years before returning to school in 2014 to earn a master's degree in marine policy at the University of Delaware (UD). “At UD, my research on the ecosystem services provided by farmed oysters—oysters filter the water by eating harmful algae, whose explosive and overwhelming growth is fueled by excess nutrient runoff, a big problem in the Chesapeake Bay—again allowed me to apply my coursework to real-world problems,” Jeff said. After graduating in 2016, he found work at a consulting firm in Virginia Beach working on more coastally-focused environmental projects. However, he continued to network and attend conferences and workshops focused specifically on coastal science, policy, and management. “Then in March of 2019, I saw an opening to do exactly what I had worked so hard to be ready to do, and the rest is history,” Jeff said. Jeff is excited about working as a coastal planner with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, a consortium of regional government planning bodies, academic institutions such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and several state agencies, headed by the
I'm always learning something new and feel like I've made a positive difference every day, even if it's something small.
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in downtown Richmond. To him, it doesn't feel like a job, but rather the perfect opportunity to bring people together to address environmental and human issues. “I'm always learning something new and feel like I've made a positive difference every day, even if it's something small like a follow-up email to a contact that I've met at a conference to put them in touch with another person I know who would be interested in future collaboration,” Jeff enthused. Every day is different. He says he wears about 20 different hats, but his core duties include policy review and formulation, grant proposal writing and administration, and providing technical assistance to local governments. “We also are in the midst of evaluating key coastal issues such as wetland health, coastal hazards, and ocean resources management so we can propose the next five-year strategy to direct grant funding from NOAA toward local and state-level policy outcomes,” Jeff said. “This involves hours of research, meeting with scientific experts, and traveling across Virginia's coastal zone to give presentations to key stakeholder groups and invite their participation in the process. This latter task is particularly fun for me because I love public speaking and meeting new people with a similar passion for coastal issues!” The greatest environmental challenge facing Jeff in his job is balancing the short-run economic development of coastal areas and educating the public about the risks associated with coastal hazards. “The environment should be a non-partisan issue, but I think that more often than not issues are framed as an either-or. If you wait until Election Day to choose one position or another (and
one that someone else has proposed for you) then you've squandered the opportunity to engage with members of your community to find and promote common values on sustainable practices,” Jeff explains. “Also, broadening environmental education to underserved communities is crucial to bringing people together over a broader spectrum and empowering individuals with the knowledge of how to make a difference. A lot of progress has been made recently in this area, but we've got a ways to go.” Jeff has recently been appointed to a one-year term to serve on the board of The Coastal Society, “I'll be involved in setting up coastal career workshops and trying to give back to an organization that has really been influential in my professional development,” he said. Jeff also volunteers with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation whenever possible to help in their oyster reef restoration efforts. “I would encourage students to reach out to such organizations to help with a trash cleanup or bring in a guest speaker to an AP Environmental Science class,” Jeff said. “From what I've read, SSSAS has done a fantastic job at exposing students to Bay issues, but students shouldn't be afraid to reach out to them on their own—maybe a group senior project could happen!” Jeff offered some advice to students today as they look towards graduation. “Find a mentor or someone in a field you're interested in who's willing to share their story,” he suggested. “Even little things like resume tips save a ton of time later on and give you the confidence and the edge over the competition. Remember, if a job sounds like fun, chances are there are a bunch of other people who feel the same way! At the same time, give yourself mental breaks from all the AP classes and stress of college applications to actually ponder what you'd want to do for a career and then map it out. Never ever get discouraged by one grade on a test or how socially cool you are in the moment. College is where you really find yourself personally and have so many more opportunities you can explore. If you put your mind to it, your career afterwards will be even more rewarding!”
www.sssas.org | 19
Girl Scouts AN 86-YEAR TRADITION by Jessie Strauss SSSAS Girl Scout Troop Organizer
Parent of Anna '25, Audrey '26, and Ari '29
The Girls Scouts program at St. Stephens
school newsletter
Birthday parade. In
and St. Agnes School has a long, rich
recounts how Girl
1953 St. Agnes School's
history. One of the first Girl Scout troops
Scouts coordinated
contribution to girl
in Alexandria, Va.,—Troop No. 1—was
giving campaigns
scouting, as well as Ms.
started by St. Agnes School Headmistress
for needed goods for
Stebbins' dedication,
Helen Army Macan in 1933 and led by
the military during
was recognized in a
St. Agnes teacher Henricka Stebbins for
wartime and for
special 20th Anniversary
more than 40 years until her retirement
donations for UNICEF
event, and for the 90th
in 1977.
during peace times.
Anniversary of Girl Scouts in our Nation's Capital, the SSSAS
serve as a way to
fourth grade Girl Scouts
continue to be perennial favorites for
commemorate and
organized an All-Saints
current Saints Girl Scouts. Saints Girl
celebrate transitions
Girl Scout Reunion as
Scouts frequently participated in sing-
and milestones. Saints
part of their Bronze
alongs and concerts; for example, in
Girl Scouts have
Award project. In May
1975, St. Agnes Junior Troop 165 sang
planned and participated in countless
2019, Lower and Middle School Saints
Christmas Carols to residents at Goodwin
ceremonies over the years, including
gathered for an All-Saints Bridging
House in Alexandria. The SAS weekly
marching in the George Washington
Ceremony with former Girl Scout and
Yum
The History
of Girl Scout Cookies
20 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
The Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, held the first-known cookie sale in the high school cafeteria as a service project.
1922
Girl Scout ceremonies
enjoyed during Ms. Stebbins' tenure
1917
Many of the activities the Girl Scouts
The simple sugar cookie recipe was shared in the Girl Scout magazine, “The American Girl.”
Girl Sco
ut Troop 1 1955
er es Teach 5: St Agn 3 9 1 a c Cir s with a Stebbin Henrick 1 ro of T op members
Lower School Director Ms. Spain Thomas
Jagodowski served as a teen troop advisor.
as the guest speaker. Bridging Ceremonies
While many adult volunteers are new to
celebrate the transition from one level of
Girl Scouting, several leaders participated
Girl Scouting to the next.
in Girl Scouts during their youth. Current
SSSAS GIRL SCOUT TROOPS
parent and alumnae Jennifer Mason Today SSSAS has active Girl Scout Troops
Halsted '94 participated in Girl Scouts
from second grade through 12th grade,
at SAS and is presently leading Junior
facilitated by parent and adult volunteers
Troop 60071.
GRADE TROOP
who serve as troop leaders, camping facilitators, cookie parents, money
The adult volunteers are most frequently
managers, first aiders, chaperones, and
serving as advisors to the Girl Scouts,
drivers. Ms. Stebbins isn't the only Saints
as each Troop is girl-led with a focus on
faculty member to have been involved in
leadership and doing and learning the
Girl Scouts. While the majority of current
activities most meaningful and interesting
volunteers are parents, family, and friends
to them. Girl Scouts benefit from learning
of current Saints students, over the years
to make group decisions at a young age,
many faculty members have supported
and how to manage group and team
Girl Scouting at SSSAS. Most recently,
activities. While this means
2nd
Brownie Troop 60135
3rd
Brownie Troop 60065
4th
Junior Troop 60071
5th
Junior Troop 60084
6th
Cadette Troop 3975
7th
Cadette Troop 4306
9th
Senior Troop 4088
10th
Senior Troop 6832
12th
Ambassador Troop 2342
Calendars stand in for cookies due to wartime shortages
1956
Cookie sales went coast to coast.
1944
The Girl Scouts licensed the first commercial bakers to help meet demand.
1937
The words “Girl Scout Cookies� was used on the box for the first time.
1936
1935
Middle School Drama Teacher Lindsay
Flavors evolved to four basic cookies: a vanilla-based filled cookie, a chocolatebased filled one, shortbread, and a chocolate mint. www.sssas.org | 21
084 t Troop 60 Girl Scou eping bout beeke learning a
Girl Scout T roop 3975 exploring W ashington, D.C.
activities can vary from troop-
Cunningham State Park in Maryland,
to-troop, over the years common
and countless other locations.
favorites have included singing,
Junior Troop 60065, the current fifth
hiking, camping, community service,
grade troop, worked on their Robotics
and selling cookies!
Badge during a program led by the Upper
22 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
experienced beekeeping with SeĂąora Alexandra Johnson. Facilitated by a
by the school and greater Saints
troop parent, Troop 3975 had a career-
community. Over the years, overnights in
day field trip to the Discovery Channel and went geocaching at Burke Lake Park in Fairfax. Troop 4306 has learned to
as well as at area campgrounds have
throw tomahawks and collected shoes for
brought together Saints Girl Scouts from
Soles4Souls, a non-profit that provides
different levels of scouting. Saints Girl
relief through the distribution of shoes
Scouts have camped all over the D.C.
and clothing around the world. Troop
region, including on the Billy Goat Trail,
6832 spent a week this summer at Pax
Camp White Rock in West Virginia,
Lodge in London, one of five World
Cookie sales helped power the first Earth Day experiences.
The number of bakers was streamlined to four to ensure lower prices and uniform quality, packaging, and distribution.
1992
Daniel Gym, the McBride multi-purpose room, and campouts on the Macan field
1978
Fourteen licensed bakers were producing thousands of Girl Scout Cookies annually.
Saints Girl Scouts have the benefit of robust facilities and support provided
1970
1962
School Robotics Club and Troop 60084
Girl Scout Cookies went to outer space and the Cookie Activity pin was introduced for participating in the cookie sale.
Girl Scout T roop 4306 selling Girl Scout cookie s. 084 t Troop 60 Girl Scou flag ing of the ng the rais bly. announci em ss erans A year's Vet after this
Centres of the World Association of Girl
and enjoyment by leading young cyclists
While the uniforms and programming
Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
through eight different cycling stations
continue to evolve, Girl Scouts at SSSAS
Saints Girl Scouts have a long history
that together address equipment and
remains a leadership program dedicated
of working on their service awards: the
rider readiness, skills and signaling drills,
to providing opportunities for girls to try
Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. For
and safety issues.
new things while finding ways to improve
her Gold Award project, recent SSSAS
the community around them.
graduate Alicia Lopez '19 created a statewide spoken Latin program, Latina Loquenda, which encourages students and teachers to pursue passions, value interpersonal interactions, and try new things. For their Bronze Award project, Troop 3975 worked with Alexandria City Earth Day organizers to plan the first-ever city-wide Bike Rodeo. Their goal was to help city youth to
Cookie sales went online with Digital Cookie
2017
The first National Girl Scout Cookie Day.
2014
Girl Scouts send cookie donations to troops overseas.
2013
2001
improve their cycling competence, safety,
The Girls Scouts celebrated 100 years of selling girl scout cookies!
www.sssas.org | 23
WORKING ON THE UPPER SCHOOL LITERARY MAGAZINE
SPEAK SING YOUR STORY
YOUR SONG
by Louisa Treadway '21
Dear Reader,
Stones,” we will dive behind In this spotlight on “Fire & kings of the Upper School the scenes into the inner wor Stones” is made possible literary magazine. “Fire & ent editors and staff; our by the hard work of the stud ool Art Teacher Kate Elkins faculty advisors, Upper Sch cher Jill McElroy; the and Upper School English Tea the students who have school administration; and ting for publication. submitted their art and wri - Louisa Treadway '21, Co-Literary Editor
Juniors Amy Gastright, junior editor,
24 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
r.
and Louisa Treadway, co-literary edito
Stones” starts the same way A year in the life of “Fire & staff—at the Upper School I became a member of the r, students are herded into Club Fair. In the Club Fai barded with an amazing the gym for an hour and bom s that will help you find choice of 50 some odd club munity. When I was a your place in the school com l. erience extremely stressfu freshman, I found the exp ld wou felt I t tha t clubs tha I had an hour to sign up for . nce erie exp g my high school be responsible for shapin ed end of club pitches and I walked past the cacophony an abstract banner behind up in front of a table with ins, who is also one of the it. My advisor, Ms. Kate Elk g rary magazine, was workin faculty advisors of the lite the t “Fire & Stones” was the table and told me tha The Middle School has an school literary magazine. es.” gazine called “Prattle Tal award-winning literary ma ed join er nev in it, but I had I had two pieces published I rts. spo l ted with after-schoo the staff because it conflic g the table. It was a paintin looked at the banner behind sing words “Speak your story, of a microphone with the at Wh y? stor it. “What is my your song” emblazoned on ed ask n myself. Ms. Elkins the is my song?” I thought to et I looked at the sign up she me if I wanted to sign up. lied eak your story.” “Yes,” I rep and then the banner. “Sp For et. she the on g my name taking the pen and scrawlin of t par a & Stones” has been the past three years, “Fire tell you our story. my journey, so now I will
an work on the Juniors Adrienne Lai and Lena Weim posters asking the ting crea first step in the process, ns. issio subm for A few weeks before the Clu
bs Fair, “Fire & Stones” the faculty advisors, Ms. Elkins and Ms. McElr oy, held a meeting for veteran memb ers of staff who were interested in bei ng a part of literary magazine's edi torial board. Ms. Elkins and Ms. McElr oy lead our weekly meetings, run wor kshops, and help advise the editors and staff members. Ms. Elkins works primarily with the creative team while Ms. McElroy works with the literary tea m. In the meeting, they explained to us what the roles of the different teams were going to be like this year. Afterwards, the studen ts who wanted to be a part of the editorial board fille d out a survey explaining wha t position or positions they wanted and listed the ir applicable knowledge and skills. Around a week later, a new editorial boa rd was announced. The editori al board leads the four teams that make up “Fire & Stones”—communicatio ns, literary, creative, and Cof feehouse. Later in the yea r, during the process of ma king the winter and spring issues, new staff members choose the remainder of the jobs based on their interest s. At this year's Clubs Fair, we decided the best way to promote what it's like to be on staff was to give studen ts a taste of what the selectio n process is like. We put out four of our past covers and asked them to vote for the ir favorite one by putting a sticker next to it. After the Clubs Fair, 10 new memb ers joined the 11 returnin g staff members. Currently, the majority of our staff are sophomores and juniors, with a smaller number of seniors. The number var ies with each year, though the number of people on staf f generally is around 20 or
Sophomor es Lizzie Ber
tles and Eliz a Young
more. “Fire & Stones” is ver
and does not have a limit
students can join.
on how many
PROMOTING THE MAG AND
SUBMISSIONS
y inclusive
INVITING
To get started, we have to find effective ways to let the students kno w it is time to submit their work and whe n the deadline is. This year's senior editors , Hudson Reynolds '20 and Amy Gastright '21, help run meetings and guide the staff through the entire pro cess of creating our winter and spring issues. “While I focus mostly on formatti ng and creating the issues, I also help lead and advise as we discuss how to promo te the magazine, encourage students to submit their work, and then go through the submissions,” Hudso n said. “All of this makes the job a very enjoyable experie nce, but creating the fina l magazines is easily my favo rite, probably not much of a surprise.” Each student can submit one to three works that hav e not previously been publish ed. The type of literary pieces students can submit include short stories, essays, plays, poetry, and excerpts under 1,000 wor ds. The artwork students sub mit include photography, illustrations, mixed media , collages, paintings, cartoons, graphic design pieces, and photographed sculptures, and 3D pieces . To get the process started , we create colorful, fun posters to hang in key are as around the school, describing what types of pieces can be submitted and by when. This year we ma de collages using posters advertising art schools. The n Anna Giardina '21, our
www.sssas.org | 25
r, makes announcements communications directo munity meetings and during our afternoon com ” Instagram page (@ posts on the “Fire & Stones a is in charge of marketing fireandstoneslitmag). Ann media presence. and keeping up our social
65 13
0RS 25 ITO +
ED
DIFFERENT
ARS YE OF MAGAZINES
LITERARY
MAGAZINES
4
FIRST PLACE
AWARDS IN
5 YEARS
21 CURRENT
F STAF BERS MEM
ING THE SUBMISSIONS REVIEWING AND SELECT sion deadline, all of the Once we reach the submis s are compiled into a literary and art submission n all of the staff members Google Drive folder. The s and vote on their frontgo through the submission all t of the process is reading runners. “My favorite par ter win the for s that we get of the amazing submission Editor Lena Weiman '21 e ativ Cre and spring issues,” ters see all of the talented wri said. “I love being able to t work—pieces they are so and artists submit their bes
AWARDS
proud of.”
selection process has Throughout the years, the Last year, we switched to undergone some changes. f e system, in which all staf an anonymous voting cod ir the g number and vote usin members are assigned a ials. When everyone is init number instead of their s, during the selection proces viewing the submissions s hor aut The ly. anonymous the pieces are presented pieces are revealed after the of and artists of each e selection process is so the voting is finished. “Th piece that is submitted is enjoyable, because every phenomenal,” Adrienne interesting and the art is ermine if there is an art said. The next step is to det h literary submission. submissions to go with eac
online, please visit To read “Fire & Stones” fireandstones.org .
26 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
chosen literary pieces The staff works together to pair the with submitted artwork. THE PAIRING PROCESS staff gathers around the For the pairing process, the m and spreads out all of tables in Ms. Elkin's art roo that got the highest votes. the literary and art pieces if of the literary pieces to see We then go through each me n theme. We use this the they connect to a commo h eac d rea we pieces. While to decide the order of the t bes ks which art piece wor literary piece, we discuss l meetings to pairing literary with it. We dedicate severa a have the magazine convey pieces and art in order to a whole. specific topic and mood as OUT THE PAGES PREPARATION FOR LAYING ce, rary piece with an art pie After we've paired each lite g idin dec s, ces the layout pro we begin the first part of on the front cover, back be which artwork should er, as well as paired with cover, and back inside cov contents, middle spread, the editor's letter, table of phon. Just like the pages staff listing , and the colo t the other pages to convey with literary works, we wan especially like the layout the same overall theme. “I ork is interesting to pair artw process because I think it ,” form to t star ine the magaz with written work and see ring pai made during the Adrienne said. Decisions
AWARDS Scholastic Yearbook and Mag azine Awards 2015 American Scholastic Press Ass ociation - 2nd Place Award Scholastic Yearbook and Mag azine Awards 2016 American Scholastic Press Ass ociation
- 1st Place Award, Senior Edit ors, John Repetti '16 and Sarah Lowe '16 - Most Outstanding Cover
Scholastic Yearbook and Mag azine Awards 2017 American Scholastic Press Ass ociation
- 1st Place Award, Senior Edit or, Malcolm Reynolds '17 Scholastic Yearbook and Mag azine Awards 2018 American Scholastic Press Ass ociation - 1st Place Award, Senior Edit or, Marta Rich '18 Scholastic Yearbook and Mag azine Awards 2019 American Scholastic Press Ass ociation - 1st Place Award, Senior Edit or, Evelyn Perfall '19 - Outstanding Art Award, Catheri ne Owens '19
process are not set in ston e. Sometimes the editors will come across issues dur ing the layout process tha t require a change to the ord er or some of the pairing s. “As the creative editor, I am in charge of making sure that the creative aspects of the magazine are as goo d as they can be,” Lena said . “I focus on the flow of the overall issue as well as the composition of each page and spread.” With the pairing process
members go through the
the magazine and select
completed, the staff
list of jobs needed to crea te one they would like to do
and join one of three teams, literary, creative, and communications. They can choose to work on one tea m or multiple teams, workin g on different parts of the magazine for different issu es. For example, Adrienne works as a literary
editor as well as helping with the layout on the crea tive team. The literary tea m is in charge of editing the written pieces, formating the literary submissions for the layout, constructin g the table of contents, bui lding the staff listing and colophon, creating word files of the artists' names, and making sure the senior edi tor writes the editor's
Faculty advisors Kate Elkins and Jill McElr oy look on as Louisa Treadway '21 and Hudson Reynolds '20 work on the layout. letter. As co-literary editors , Adrienne and I oversee this process and edit the literary pieces with the authors and Ms. McElroy. The crea tive team formats the images for print, creates the cover pages, and wor ks on the layout using Photosh op and Indesign. The communications team upd ates the “Fire & Stones” website (fireandstones.org), writes acceptance notes to the students being publish ed, and confirms the title s of the literary and art pieces . They also record the aut hors reading their literary pieces for the website. MAKING THE WINTER AND
Once all of the preparatio
SPRING ISSUES
n jobs are completed, the editors meet to compile eve rything into the magazine and put the finishing tou ches on it. “The final formatting of the magazine has to be my favorite par t of the process, as the nat ure of submitted work ma kes putting the final pieces tog ether an interesting—and sometimes maddening— process,” Hudson said. “We have matched visual wor ks to written works, form atted and arranged the pairs, and now have to make each page visually interesting and engaging.” Even tho ugh a great deal of work has bee n done in preparation for the laying out process, creating the layout has to be flexible and fluid. “The order of the pages and paired pieces changes throughout the edi ting process,” Hudson continued. “The aha mome nts, where one adjustment completely saves a difficult page, make editing a trul y unique experience as no two sets of submissions are the same.” After the editors finish the
shipped off to the printer.
layout, the magazine is
Members of the “Fire & Stones” staff distribute our winter issue during the
www.sssas.org | 27
e distribute the spring issu Winter Coffeehouse and of school. I remember the to students on the last day y of the winter issue as a first time I saw the hard cop ugh it I felt a rush a pride freshman. As I flipped thro ke this possible.” Holding and thought, “I helped ma With a rush that never ceases. our work in my hands is of ws because you put more every issue, this feeling gro be will tor, as a literary edi yourself into it. This year, satisfying. nd —a even more demanding WORKSHOPS our fall and winter When we are not planning on the winter and spring coffeehouses or working ds creative workshops. We issues, “Fire & Stones” hol Elkin's room and work on meet every Friday in Ms. art and creative writing individual or collaborative ducts of these workshops exercises. Some of the pro the Coffeehouse have been incorporated into tion recognized workshop crea interludes and our most e ous feeh Cof t we use as our is the splatter painting tha
THE “FIRE & STONES” TEAM
Editor Hudson Reynolds '20, Senior or Edit Amy Gastright '21, Junior ions Director icat Anna Giardina '21, Commun or Edit ry Adrienne Lai '21, Co-Litera Editor ry itera Louisa Treadway '21, Co-L ctor Dire e Lena Weiman '21, Creativ
EDITORIAL STAFF Lili Abizaid '20 Ana Bach '21 Eva Balistreri '21
Lily Bertles '22 Charles Bradburn '22 Wendy Buendia '20 Nyrique Butler '22 Elise Hellmann '20
Ashlyn Lee '20 Victoria Lopez '22 Mimi Shea '22 Lizzie Sherman '22
Carlin Trevisan '21 Sophie VandeHei '20 Eliza Young '22
FACULTY ADVISORS Kate Elkins
Jill McElroy
backdrop. COFFEEHOUSE ” hosts two Coffeehouse Every year, “Fire & Stones Rotunda at the Upper events in the Wills Library ite one in the winter. We inv School, one in the fall and re their talents with the students and faculty to sha ouse performances range school community. Coffeeh ing , and magic, to comedy from poetry recitations, sing p in e coordinator I get to hel routines. “As Coffeehous , food choices, overall theme planning the decorations,
St. Agnes Upper School publishes “Shepherd's Crook”
St. Agnes' High School Literary Society publishes “Bleats” 1954-1960
,” Sophie Vandehei '20 make announcements, etc. t coffeehouse to have said. “It was fun for this pas (of h School Horror Stories' people compile their 'Hig red.” sha be to ) ute to contrib which I had one too many we t wha y e events embod Sophie feels the Coffeehous et forg munity. “I will never strive for in our Saints com r and being reassured and performing freshman yea “I in the room,” she recalls. cheered on by the people
1958-1960 St. Stephen's Upper School publishes “Squire”
28 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
1961-1963
St. Agnes Upper School publishes “Chimera”
St. Agnes Upper School publishes “Spectrum”
1961-1991 St. Stephen's Upper School publishes “Emanon”
1964-1983
1982-1987 St. Agnes Middle School publishes “Lambslines”
1984
even looked up to see peo ple dancing along. When people mess up they are me t with encouragement. The Coffeehouse is an opportu nity for people who aren't comfortable in other situ ations to perform and sha re.” WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PAR T OF THE LIT MAG I asked members of the staf f what they enjoy most abo ut “Fire & Stones.” Lena enjo ys our weekly meetings, bei ng with everybody and being able to bounce ideas off eac h other is what ends up ma king each issue so dynam ic. Adrienne thinks the best part is the people who wor k on it. “The Fire and Stones tea m makes the process sup er fun! I love how we all wor k together to make a great magazine! Everyone is ent husiastic and passionate about making it great!” Adr ienne exclaimed. One of our past editors, Malcolm Reynolds '17, eloquently said, “The greatest thing we do at 'Fire & Stones' is not, in [his] eyes, the creation of our publications or the coffeehouses we host, but rather the opportunity we offer to the student body to set aside grades, sports, or anything else they are foc used on, to express themse lves freely.” I followed up with Malcol m to ask how his experie nce on the lit mag has helped him in college. “During my first year in college I did layout for a student-run publication,” he said. “Af ter working on “Fire & Sto nes” it was kind of a culture sho ck to work on something that felt a lot less intimate. More broadly though, I
1984-1986 St. Agnes Upper School publishes “The Literary Magazine”
I enjoy just having the priv ilege of being a part of it all. Without “Fire & Stones,” my high school experience would be very different. Thr ough “Fire & Stones” I found my love for art and writing , got the courage to try things out of my com fort zone, forged bonds wit h people who have become some of my closest friends , and gained a supportive community where I never need to pretend to be someone other than me. Without “Fir e & Stones” I would not be the person I am today, and for that I am eternally gratefu l. As our spotlight on “Fire & Stones” comes to a clos e, its story does not. In thre e years, “Fire & Stones” will surpass St. Stephen's lite rary magazine “Emanon” to become the longest run ning literary magazine in the history of the three sch ools. As long as there are students who dare to be crea tive and faculty who support them in their end eavors, “Fire & Stones” will continue to impact the live s of the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Upper School com munity for many years to come.
SSSAS Upper School biannually Publishes “Fire & Stones”
St. Agnes Upper School publishes “Sybil”
St. Stephen's Middle School publishes “Coat and Tie”
1986-1990
think SSSAS did a great job of giving me the tools to be successful in whateve r I could have chosen to do, and I came to college wit h an academic skill set tha t meant I would be able to pursue pretty much anythin g I was interested in; I especia lly noticed that I was bet ter prepared to write longer academic papers than ma ny of my peers were.”
1987 St. Agnes Upper School publishes “Elan Vital”
1988-1991
1992-Present
1992-Present
SSSAS Middle School annually publishes “Prattle Tales”
www.sssas.org | 29
Carol Huh '90 RY BRINGING CONTEMPORA ASIAN ART TO THE FREER by Louisa Treadway '21
Gallery of Art and Arthur I met Carol Huh '90 at Freer nian Institution, in M. Sackler Gallery, Smithso
has been working as the Washington, D.C., where she porary Asian art first-ever curator of contem
her experiences at since 2007. We talked about ary magazine, St. Agnes, working on the liter | Sackler. and her career at the Freer
es literary magazine, Carol worked on the St. Agn senior years, serving as an “Sybil,” in her junior and ior editor. She was also a assistant editor and a sen , Amard, and the reading member of the drama club l enthusiastic about her club, Ex Libris. Carol is stil day, what I've truly and years at St. Agnes. “To this ut St. Agnes is the Ages of sincerely appreciated abo h really pretty special for hig Man program, which was s r-year, Upper School Age school,” Carol said. The fou r che tea ory hist ted by of Man curriculum was crea ct the history, history nne rco inte to Margorie Norris English classes. “And of Art, history of music, and rs were amazing,” Carol then my English lit teache Teacher John Palmer continued. “Middle School being a horrible writer turned my life around from up my paper in red and in eighth grade, marking the ter, to praising me for all challenging me to do bet d stan r the Ano r.” semeste changes by the end of the gley din Ma the ticipating in out memory for Carol is par k. coc Teacher Suzanne Bab Scholars trip with English ld be selected to go to “Each year eight girls wou . r spring break,” Carol said Cambridge University ove “It was great!”
30 | St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School
nded Georgetown After graduating , Carol atte Bachelor of Science in University and received a ster of Arts in Culture, Foreign Service and a Ma hnology. She then took an Communications, and Tec n t job at the Freer. In additio indirect path to her curren rd boa the editorial to curating, she serves on ithsonian Networks Review of Ars Orientalis, the Sm onian Channel), and the Committee (for the Smiths ch Fellowship committee. Smithsonian Artist Resear
including acting in the Sha kespeare Festival at the Folger Theater. This was before the age of recordin g everything …thankfully! (I discovered that I definite ly better to keep me backsta ge!) Q. Why were you interes ted in working on the lite rary magazine, “Sibyl?
CH: I relished the chance to help shape a platform for expression. Learning lan guages—French, Spanish , and English at the time—was a strong and enriching part of the St. Agnes
At the Freer | Sackler, Car ol uses her acquisitions and exhibitions to focus on con temporary art and society in Asia. She took me on an amazing, personal tour of her most recent exhibit ion, “My Iran: Six Wome n Photographers,” which is on display until February 9, 2020. She is clearly pas sionate about what she does, highly intellectual, and deeply knowledgeabl e. The exhibit explores the impact of what Carol refe rs to as “social documentary, ” “the strong legacy of Iranian photography,” and the “cross fertilization of the cinematic.” The exhibit ion starts with a moving image of Somayeh, from Newsha Tavakolian's “Bl ank Pages of an Iranian Photo Album,” invoking a feeling of defiance, and ends with an untitled photograph from Gohar Dashti's series “Ho me,” which invokes a feel ing of hope. Carol said that she ended the exhibition with these works to “end on a question mark and perhap sa hint of optimism.” Q. When did your interes
t in the arts begin? Did you
love art class or were you mo
re of an art historian?
CH: St. Agnes provided a well-rounded and innova tive curriculum for the study of Western cultural history and the arts. The Ages of Man program, the French exchange program, and the Madingley Scholars experience offered excelle nt opportunities to develop an appreciation for European visual art and interest in art historical methodologies. I also took studio art clas ses. AOM and chorus classes provided a solid introductio n to European music history and basic music reading skills. Q. What opp ortunities did
explore the arts?
you have at St. Agnes to
CH: In addition to the abo ve, contributing to “Sibyl” and designing Amard pos ters were memorable activities. I also participat ed in Amard productions,
curriculum. Not only did we learn the technical
aspects of communicatin
in these languages, but
g
we also were encouraged to explore different
European literary
traditions. English classes under the guidance of
Mr. Palmer and Ms. Babcock were truly a plea
sure and taught me a gre at deal about writing effectiv ely. With Madame Denise van Swearingen, I was mo tivated to study the classics of French poetry and pro se. Working on the literary magazine offered an outlet for further exploration, suc h as challenging myself to write in Petrarchan rhythm , or playing with French rhyme . Q. What did you enjoy mo
CH: That was the first tim
st about working on “Sy
e I had ever experienced
publishing process, includ
bil?”
the ing working on a layout,
thinking about selection, and the juxtaposition of text and image. Working as a team on a creative endeav or, and encouraging others to share their work, was fun . Although the end result was quite simple, seeing all of that work as a substantial object composed of glossy, bound pages of heavy pap er was such a thrill at the time. Q. How has your exp erie nce working on “Sibyl” impacted your career/lif e? CH: The relationship betwee n images and text is an important part of curato rial work. Through my contemporary art project s, as well as exposure to the museum's extraordin ary historical collections ,I am always fascinated by the creative possibilities of language and the cross fert ilization between literary and visual arts. “Sibyl” also fostered an incipient
www.sssas.org | 31
al hing conceptual and materi are at the forefront of pus re, lptu scu d have involve boundaries. My projects eo, and photography. vid s, tion painting, installa
as to the public, which interest in presenting ide my work on exhibitions, continues to evolve through s. lectures, and publication
st recent exhibition. Q. Tell us about your mo “My Iran: Six Women CH: Currently on view is from the Freer | Sackler's Photographers.� Drawing photography collections, archival and contemporary ique look at the enduring the exhibition takes an obl in 1979. From social impact of the revolution manipulated images, from documentary to staged and al corners of distant person the streets of Tehran to the highlight artists who memories, the works on view to explore their relationship have used photography to Dr. ist nom eco honors the late Iran. The exhibition also h generosity helped establis se Jahangir Amuzegar, who porary Iranian art. an endowment for contem
the did you take to your job at
Q. What path Freer|Sackler?
t path through political CH: I took a rather indirec , and cultural studies at science, international law a curatorial and research Georgetown. Working as uting to the establishment assistant, and later contrib art program at the of the contemporary Asian se disciplines together in Freer|Sackler, brought the ways. interesting and unexpected
amongst the exhibits you Q. Do you have a favorite s you have been involved have curated or the project ? with? What made it special come of relationships out the ally usu are s CH: Project each one has been special developed with artists, and sts, I have learned a great in some way. Through arti practices, histories, and deal about different artistic individual perspectives sociocultural contexts from n, ea, Japan, China, Pakista rooted in India, South Kor others. and Saudi Arabia, among
curator of contemporary Q. What do you do as the ler. What are your Asian art at the Freer|Sack
responsibilities? the late 20th century to CH: I research Asian art of exhibitions and programs, today in order to present al ons. I serve on the editori as well as build the collecti ks wor Net an Smithsoni board of Ars Orientalis, the Smithsonian Artist the and Review Committee, mittee. Research Fellowship com challenge as a curator? Q. What is your greatest enough time to develop as CH: Time! There is never e like from across such a larg many projects as I would world, and the necessary and diverse section of the as lore areas in depth. Also, international travel to exp is ject pro draising for every a free public museum, fun always a challenge.
for a particular Q. Do you have a passion form?
artist or art
y a single artist or form. CH: It is difficult to identif sts range of practices and arti There is an extraordinary
32 | St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School
you have made for the Q. Is there an acquisition y imp ortant to you? gallery that was particularl ortant in some way, of CH: Each acquisition is imp ome part of the national course. Since works will bec to a fairly strict selection collection, we must adhere ation review, preparing process, including conserv
written and oral justificatio ns, and securing funding. I was especially pleased to acquire an entire collection of moder n and contemporary Japanese photography. Wit h more than 400 major works dating from the ear ly twentieth century to the present, this collection, alon g with our extensive holdings of Japanese art spanning four millennia, offers a stellar resource for scholars of modern and contemporary Japanese art and history. Q. What do you do as a me
Artist Research Fellowshi
mb er of the Smithsonian p Committee (SARF) and
the Smithsonian Networ ks Review Committee (SNRC)?
CH: The SARF committee
oversees the entire program, which has becom e quite competitive since it was established in 200 8. Composed of curators from different Smithsoni an units, the committee selects and advises fellows , and allocates the annual budget. The SNRC serves as the primary oversight group for the Smithsonian Networks, which is a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institution and the Showtime Networ k. The Committee review s and recommends Smiths onian museum proposals to network producers, and rev iews all channel content in acc ordance with Smithsonian standards. Q. You co-authored a boo k published in 2017, “Painting with Light: Pho tography at the Freer | Sackler.” Can you tell us more about that project? CH: “Painting with Light” is part of a series of books highlighting the Freer | Sac kler collections. I worked with our head archivist at the time to trace the long history of photography in Asia and the integral role of the medium in shapin g perceptions of Japan, India, China, and parts of West Asia in particular. We examined the developme nt of landscape and portrai t photography from the mid -nineteenth century to contemporary works. Q. If you were in high sch ool today and had the knowledge that you have now, what advice would you give yourself ? CH: Take advantage of the most relatively carefree period of life to learn as mu ch as possible of the subjects that interest you the most.
Q. Do you have a favorite memory from your days at St. Agnes?
CH: The Madingley Scholar s was an unforgettable experience. I remember wan ting so much to be a part of this special progra m as soon as I entered the Upper School and being so excited when I received the acceptance letter. Organi zed by Ms. Babcock, the group went to Cambridge Univer sity for a specially design ed short program of study dur ing senior year. We met in seminar-style lectures wit h Cambridge professors and studied the history and arts of Elizabethan England. Being a part of that environ ment felt so special, even in our spare rooms in New nham College. We rested in the fields of the Cotswolds, drove into London to visi t the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum), and stood in awe at Oxford. I got the obligat ory membership at Heffers bookshop and tried to eav esdrop on graduate studen ts while nestled into a teasho p. Before that, I participat ed in the French student exc hange program the summe r after my freshman year and met a family with whom I have stayed in contact. St. Agnes was wonderful in providing opportunities to broaden horizons.
www.sssas.org | 33
Our Place on this Earth Ninth Grade's Day of
DISCOVERY BY VALENTINA RAMAN Director of Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship
Brian had envisioned this environmentally-focused agenda long ago for the ninth grade Bonding Day, a tradition that occurs every year the same day sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT and seniors are working on their college essays.After last year's experience, where freshmen
T
he morning of October 16 opened with a drought-busting
drizzle. Reminders for raincoats flurried from faculty's
inboxes to freshmen, who were about to embark on their first excursion as a class. “We hope that today will bring you a deeper understanding of Alexandria, and our roles as caretakers of that environment,” began Brian Kane, SSSAS director of environmental stewardship, to the ninth graders assembled in CPAC. “With your advisories, you will explore four significant cultural and natural sites where you will make observations and have conversations about the history and present-day environmental challenges in the Alexandria area.” Over 100 pairs of eyes looked back with curiosity and a bit of trepidation, knowing that they were about to venture outside on what was predicted to be the rainiest day of the season thus far.
34 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
journeyed far out to an obstacle course for their bonding activity, Brian imagined what a day of diving deeper into our own neighborhood could inspire in young minds and hearts. With the support and enthusiasm of the Upper School administrative team, we made this vision a reality— with some creative adjustments due to rain. Students' discovery process was centered on four sites exhibiting the natural and cultural history of Alexandria: Jones Point Park, which highlights the area's freshwater marsh habitat, its use by Native Americans, and its role in shipbuilding and navigation; Dyke Marsh, which is one of the largest remaining freshwater tidal wetlands in the Washington area, with its uniquely diverse ecosystem spanning 485 acres of tidal marsh, floodplain, and swamp forest; St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, which is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Virginia with graves dating from 1798; and the Contraband & Freedmen Cemetery, where
more than 1,800 freed and escaped slaves and their
Originally, the students were going to head back to
descendants were buried after seeking refuge in Alexandria
Jones Point Park after visiting all sites for a class picnic
during the Civil War.
with games and free play, yet the rainy day ended the excursion early. Instead, the freshmen returned to
Each freshman carried with them a “Watch Book” that
CPAC to reflect with their advisors about the morning,
contained reflection questions pertaining to the site, to help
followed by their watching of “Paris to Pittsburgh,” a
them self-navigate and reflect on their observations and
2018 documentary film that celebrates how Americans
learnings. For example, at the Freedmen Cemetery, which
are demanding and developing real solutions in the
lies just across the street from St. Mary's, students were told
face of climate change, especially after the current
that the graves were completely forgotten for more than 100
administration's withdrawal from the Paris Climate
years and covered over by a gas station from 1950 to 1995,
Agreement.
until archaeological surveys in relation to construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge led to its rediscovery. With
Brian ended the day announcing that each advisory
their advisors, freshmen shared what they think led to this
would be planting a tree to create a ninth grade class
tragic disrespect of those buried individuals, and juxtaposed
grove, to actualize their individual and collective
it with the obvious care in maintaining St. Mary's. At Dyke
commitments as caretakers of our environment.
Marsh, students went beyond observation to action, picking up trash they found along the trail and waterways. They
With trees planted and seeds of social responsibility
also were asked to walk in silence to mindfully tune in to the
sowed, the Class of 2023 has begun their high school
natural sounds and scenes, so that the environment—and
journey with the humbling truth that there is still much
not their human friends—would be their core focus.
work to be done to heal the wounds of the past and create a brighter future. Yet within that truth, there is hope if we all lovingly embrace our place on this Earth. www.sssas.org | 35
AN EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Chapel Talk: Laetitia Haddad '20 Each week during Upper School chapel, a member of the community, usually a senior, gives the homily. These are often powerful and personal reflections on their life experiences.
I am 17 years old, and of those 17 years, I have lived in the United States for just over three of them. Prior to these past three years of high school, 14 years of my life were spent in the Middle East. I lived in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which is Abu Dhabi, not Dubai, and I was raised as a third culture kid in an
expat family. My dad is LebaneseAmerican, and my mom was born in New Zealand, but raised in Australia. As for myself, I was born in Brisbane, Australia, I call Abu Dhabi my childhood home, and now, I live in suburban Alexandria. And yet, I struggle to call myself allAmerican, or truly a Kiwi, or really Lebanese, as I feel too far removed from each of these identities. Despite appearing to fit in here, there was a degree of culture shock that came with moving to Alexandria. I bought a winter coat for the first time while practically freezing during my first December in America. I gawked at the idea of driving at 16, and fumbled over the Pledge of Allegiance. If anything, moving “back to” America, where my passport says I belong, felt more surreal than my life in Abu Dhabi ever did. I felt wholly un-American, a stranger in a strange land that should have been familiar. It's hard to feel lost in a world that moves by so quickly. It's hard to feel lost in a world that expects you to (at least) know who you are.
created us “God in such diverse
multiplicity so that we could embrace our incompleteness, and shape our own identities.
”
36 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
In today's reading, we hear that we must “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” I believe that the pattern of this world expects us to have everything figured out— our identities, our beliefs, and our purpose. But, God didn't create us to be defined by the cultural molds we strive to fill. God didn't create us to be divided into quarters and halves so that others can put us into boxes. Instead, God created us in such diverse multiplicity so that we could embrace our incompleteness, and shape our own identities. In today's reading, we are called to think differently about ourselves, and we are called to focus our attention on a
“renewal of the mind.” This is powerful, and countercultural in the sense that it champions change and growth. Perhaps, our identities can grow with us, ebbing and flowing and changing with time. I have grown a lot since my childhood. Sure, moving across the globe is one thing, but I also grew up in a second sense. When I was eight years old, I began attending speech therapy for what science calls childhood-onset fluency disorder, which is what we call stuttering. In my case, words would either get stuck, or come out incomprehensibly fast. As a child who had so much to say and so much to tell others to do, this impediment was immensely frustrating. 'Turtle-talk' was the catch phrase my speech therapist introduced to me when we first began training my mouth and mind to work together. I was encouraged to take things slowly. And so, I practiced speaking clearly and concisely, sounding out each syllable and pausing between each word. Taking things slowly, though deceptively easy, is a skill few people actually possess. Our lives are populated with alarm clocks and due dates, and our society associates success with the stamina and the rate at which we move through life. I believe that we confuse this fast-paced lifestyle with having things figured out. Though academic success is valid, and necessary to our careers as students, I believe we need to view success in another way, too. Instead of thinking about success as something far away on the other side of struggle, I believe we need to anchor success to an integral component of our existence: our purpose. How do we accomplish purpose, and how can we live a life of purpose? Well, our purpose can be found in living life a bit slower and leaning into the
all of “Above this, I am
comforted by the idea that God created me, in all of my fragments, to grow, and love, and be loved.
”
vulnerability we feel when we are not first, when we are not the fastest or the strongest or the best. We go through the motions of our busiest days, barely pausing to take a breath out of tempo because this hesitation is perceived to be a weakness. This hesitation is a falter in our breakneck pace of life, and it means that you don't have it all figured out. This mentality of setting an unwavering trajectory overlooks what I perceive to be the pillars of our humanity: growth, happiness and love. A study found that in the 1960's, around 85% of high school seniors believed that developing a meaningful philosophy of life was important. Today, less than 50% of high school seniors believe that living a life of purpose is an important goal, but over 80% of us believe that making money is extremely important. I believe that, as a generation, we have not strayed away from purpose because we are weak. Instead, I believe we think that we are too strong to waste our time thinking about our purpose. This is a huge misstep, and I think it is partly responsible for why the Pew Research
Laetitia Haddad '20 with her mother, Rebecca, and sister, Iman '22.
Center recently reported that Generation Z is extremely stressed and depressed, with 70% of the 920 American teenagers polled believing that anxiety and depression are major issues among their peers. It takes great strength to slow down and look for our purpose, as it recalibrates our entire reason for being. Today's second reading states that “the purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). It is interesting to liken someone's purpose to deep water, a convergence of danger and inspiration in which one can drown or float free. There is a necessary vulnerability required to near these deep waters, to reach them at all. I think that the capacity to be vulnerable is a true test of strength. Like one's purpose, these deep waters swell with undercurrents and tides, so much of it still unexplored as we move through life. For me, living with purpose means being okay with not having everything figured out, because the ultimate goal is not success, or money, or fame—but growth, and happiness, and love.
I live a life of duality, of complex cultural impressions that shape my character and my perspectives everyday. I live a whirlwind, high school life that sometimes moves without me. I have been, and continue to be, sometimes lost in my identities, not knowing where I truly fit in. I have experienced limitations on the capacity of my voice, but I have ultimately learned what a powerful asset it can be. Above all of this, I am comforted by the idea that God created me, in all of my fragments, to grow, and love, and be loved. I ask that, as a community, we take the time this year to find strength in accepting ourselves as works in progress. I ask that we lean into the discomfort of slowing down. I will end today by asking that we listen to ourselves, really listen. Amid the noise of our lives are purposes vast and uncharted. We cannot neglect them. They are waiting to lead the way up the mountain and atop the highest peak; stopping, just, to look back and marvel upon the beauty of our human existence. Amen.
www.sssas.org | 37
Joining Our Boards in 2019-2020
PETER CHADWICK
GENE BOUNDS
Board of Governors
Board of Governors Gene is the president of Bounds Associates, a government consulting practice supporting business management services—aligning strategic planning, operational planning, and program execution. He was formerly a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton. He is also a retired U.S. Air Force officer and held leadership positions at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute and Robbins-Gioia, LLC. Gene earned his Master's of Science in Information Systems from the University of Southern California and a B.B.A. in Information Systems from Texas Tech University. Gene and his wife, Susan, live in Alexandria with their son, Charlie '23. They love that the school has a “balanced approach to academics, sports, and community in order to be prepared for the future.” Gene is an avid supporter of The Saints Fund and has also served as a Saints Athletics Club volunteer. “I'm looking forward to being on the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School board because of the opportunity to contribute to a local school program with a national reputation,” Gene said. “The school's strategic plan includes forward-thinking goals and a willingness to take risks, which I find exciting to be a part of the process.” His favorite book of all time? “Brothers and Keepers” by John Edgar Wideman
Peter Chadwick is the managing director and head of Healthcare Restructuring Practice at Berkeley Research Group LLP. As a managing director, Peter has significant operating experience, including improving underperforming businesses and advising debtors and creditors in complex financial matters. He has served as chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and advisor to companies in a variety of industries. Peter leads long term care, senior care, and acute care hospital systems through operational turnarounds and financial restructurings. Peter holds an M.B.A. in finance from the Olin School of Business at Babson College and a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University. He is a certified insolvency restructuring advisor. Peter is a member of the Turnaround Management Association global board. Peter and his wife, Kirsten, have three children who attend St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School: Tyler '22, Avery '24, and Cole '27. “I believe in the mission of St. Stephens and St. Agnes and yet, I also believe there is so much more that the school can do with greater resources,” Peter said. “What excites me about the school's strategic plan is it addresses the broader development of the student through investment in the school's physical facilities, the strengthening of its faculty, and its impact on the broader community.” In his free time, Peter spends as much time as possible with his family, coaches lacrosse, travels, hunts, and attends Boston Red Sox games. His favorite book of all time? “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov
CLAY PERFALL
Board of Governors Chair The school is very grateful for the many capacities in which Clay has served the school. He returned to the Board of Governors as a member in 2018 and is now serving as chair for the second time. Previously, he served on the Board of Governors from 2005-2016, including chairing the board from 2011-2016. Additionally, he has served on many Board of Governor committees, including the Development Committee, Financial Aid Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Executive Committee, and chairing the Finance Committee. He also served on the Foundation Board from 2008-2016. Clay served as a representative to Buildings & Grounds, Development, Finance, Financial Aid, and Strategic Planning. 38 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
PETER KEEFE
Board of Governors Peter is returning to the Board of Governors. Previously, he served two terms on the board from 2005 to 2011 and then served on the SSSAS Foundation Board of Trustees from 2011 through 2017, the last three years as president and chair. Peter co-chaired the school's Light the Way: A Campaign for our Teachers endowment campaign. He and his wife, Debbie, have four children: Julia '14, Alex '16, Eliza '20 (through 4th grade), and Tim '20. Peter is the executive chairman of Avenir Corporation, a Washington, D.C. based investment management firm. Prior to joining Avenir, he was director of research at Johnston, Lemon & Co. Incorporated, a New York Stock Exchange Member firm. Peter received his Bachelor of Arts. in Political Science from Washington and Lee University and served on its Board of Trustees from 2007 until 2013. In the community, Peter has served as an assistant Alexandria Little League coach and was formerly on the boards of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation, the Alexandria Boys and Girls Club, and the Men's Home, which provides residential services to recovering alcoholic men. “I am a great believer in the mission of SSSAS,” said Peter. “We are blessed with excellent governance and outstanding leaders, teachers, and administrators. In my volunteer roles, particularly during the Light the Way Campaign, I saw the goodness and potential within our community and hope to help us realize that full potential.” In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, reading and the outdoors, especially hiking, hunting, fishing, and handball. His favorite book of all time? The Bible, followed by “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean.
JOHN MUSTIN '85
SHILOH ROEHL
Foundation Board
Board of Governors
Throughout the years, John has been very involved in class alumni functions and fundraising and milestone reunion events. He comes from a long line of Saints, including his father, Henry '50, mother Lucy '55, brothers Lloyd '77 and Tom '78, sister Kay '79, uncle Russell '50, nephews Link '02 and Towny '05, and niece Elizabeth '04. John is excited to serve on the board. “I've always felt the opportunities to which I was exposed, and in many cases benefited greatly from, were the result of my interaction with the superb teachers, coaches, administrators, and schoolmates assembled at SSS and SAS. It's an honor to contribute to shaping the school's future so others may enjoy the same transformative experiences I did while there.”
Shiloh has generously given her time to the school. She served as the APT Spring Festival co-chair for the past two years, organized Saints auction items for the APT Gala, served on the Grandparents and Special Friends' Day Decorations Committee and is a room parent and tour guide. She and her husband, Dan, have two Saints, Luke '27 and Sadie '29.
John is currently recalled to active duty with the U.S. Navy, where he is a Rear Admiral and the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two in Virginia Beach. As the commander of all amphibious forces operating in the Atlantic, Arctic, Baltic and Mediterranean, he commands 25,000 sailors and marines spanning 23 subordinate ships and units, and provides deployable expeditionary strike capability for our naval, joint, coalition, and partner forces. In his civilian capacity, he is the CEO of Wasabi Rabbit, a creative agency specializing in brand development and digital marketing experiences, headquartered in Manhattan. John leads a team of experts who shape clients' connections with employees, customers, prospects, and the general market, and is responsible for the company's business development initiatives and strategic account relationships. John earned an M.B.A. from Babson College, an MS in Operations Research from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a founding board member for the Semper Fi Leadership Academy, and an Advisory Board member of the Navy League of New York. Additionally, John and his wife, Kimberly, support Sheltering Arms, a non-profit that develops and delivers innovative programs and services to enhance the education and development of under-represented children, their families, and communities in the NYC metro area. In his free time, John enjoys adventure races, running, playing golf, and playing guitar. More recently, he has enjoyed sponsoring, supporting and cheering for his three kids' soccer, martial arts, and ballet activities.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in political science, Shiloh spent a decade as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill working for members of Congress from Wisconsin and Ohio. She held a variety of positions on the Hill from writing constituent letters and speeches, to drafting and negotiating legislation. She had the opportunity to work on legislation that she was passionate about like increasing access to cancer clinical trials, fighting human trafficking, and breaking down barriers to adoption. Additionally, she has been a long-time volunteer and advocate for raising awareness about mental health. Shiloh is excited to be a part of the board . “I believe in Kirsten and the school leadership team's commitment to a vision that is 'Grounded in Tradition, Forward Thinking.' It respects and represents the past, present, and future. As a school, we must adjust and evolve, yet we can do so in a way that remains deeply rooted in our mission to pursue goodness as well as knowledge. It is an exciting time to see this vision take flight, and I appreciate the school's commitment to working closely with and listening to feedback from faculty and parents as new elements continue to unfold.” In her free time, she likes to travel, run, play tennis, read with her kids, and spend time with family and friends. Coaching her children's basketball teams made of up Saints kids is one of her favorite things to do!
CRAIG SHAPERO Foundation Board
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School welcomes Craig Shapero to the Foundation Board. Craig is the Chief Executive Officer at Megin US, a Medical Device Manufacturer delivering Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive, functional brain mapping solution for the diagnostic workup, treatment strategy, and intervention of neurological conditions. Craig earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut. Craig has been involved at SSSAS by serving on the APT Gala Committee, making calls for The Saints Fund, and participating in the Alumni Golf Tournament. He and his wife, Kari, have two Saints, Max '13 and Dokken '16. “When I think of a Saints education, the first three attributes that come to mind are leadership, accountability, and honor,” said Craig. Craig currently serves on the Board of Directors at Newport Music Festival and the Preservation Society of Newport County Investment Committee. He previously served as president at the Belle Haven Civic Association and is an usher at Christ Church in Alexandria. In his free time, Craig enjoys golfing, traveling, and spending time in Newport, R.I., with his family. His favorite book of all-time? “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett or “The Stand” by Stephen King
Her favorite book of all time? “Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Comey
His favorite book of all time? “The Odyssey” by Homer www.sssas.org | 39
“As You Like It ”
The Upper School Stage One Players presented three performances of “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare. Witty words and romance play out against the disputes of divided pairs of sisters in Shakespeare's most quoted play. Fleeing persecution disguised as a shepherd boy, Rosalind and her cousin escape into the Forest of Arden. There she meets her love, Orlando, and forms a teasing friendship with him. When she reveals herself, several weddings are triggered. The play contains many of Shakespeare's most famous lines.
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the
wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
“Love is merely a madness.”” 40 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.”
“Master, go on, and I will
follow thee,
To the last gasp with truth and loyalty.”
“Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly.”
“Oh, how bitter a
thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes!”
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SAINTS IN ACTION
“Loving God, we give thanks for the many blessings in our lives... In this season of abundance, give us open eyes and open hearts to see the needs of your children all around us.”
Saintsgiving 2019 Serving our local and global communities On the morning before Thanksgiving, Saints of all ages gathered in the Upper School Dining Hall for our Saintsgiving service-learning event, an annual tradition devoted to giving back to our community during the holiday season. This year's activities focused on serving students in need locally as well as globally in partnership with ALIVE!, an Alexandria nonprofit, and St. Paul's School, our sister school in Haiti. The gathering opened with a prayer led by The Rev. Kristen Farrington, our 42 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
new Upper School Chaplain, followed by faculty and students sharing their experiences with ALIVE! and St. Paul's, to center all of us on the purpose of our morning's service work. More than 2,300 pounds of food items were donated by Saints families in the weeks prior to this gathering to create community care packages for Alexandria students who live well below the poverty line and need help with meals over the weekend. Families at Saintsgiving assembled these packages containing two
breakfasts, two lunches, and two snacks, each accompanied by a handmade friendship note, and then loaded all the packages on the ALIVE! truck for distribution to students at Cora Kelly School and Francis Hammond Middle School. All students at the Lower School helped to assemble community care packages in the ramp-up to Thanksgiving and will be continuing this program throughout the school year. According to ALIVE!'s Food Program Director, Ann Patterson, this
program is the first student-to-student food assistance initiative she has seen in the organization's history.
you've never met. Children living in poverty or in other vulnerable situations need all the friends they can get.”
“The elementary school children receiving the community care packages will be so happy to see notes from their peers, other school children. They usually receive encouraging notes from adults, but reading a note in a child's handwriting is something special. It's the possibility of a kind and generous friend
Once the packages were loaded on the ALIVE! truck, families at Saintsgiving turned their focus towards St. Paul's, whose students have been living in the midst of civil unrest for over a year. All schools in Haiti have been closed, which means students cannot receive the regular meals that they relied on
the school to provide. In solidarity and support of our sister school, we ended our gathering with a fundraising Walk to Support St. Paul's, which was filmed to send to them along with our collective donation. With a chorus of “We love you St. Paul's!”, Saintsgiving came to a close, leaving families with a joyful start to a season of giving.
www.sssas.org | 43
FACE-TO-FACE WITH OUR FACULTY
Mike Jones' favorite thing in the world is playing and coaching
basketball, but he says "a close second is warm chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream." He is a kind and humble man, who coached the 2018-2019 boys varsity basketball team to a historic season, winning the Sleepy Thompson Tournament, the IAC Championship, and the VISAA Championship. Mike admits winning felt good, but credits fellow Saints Ron Ginyard, Middle School admissions director and former varsity basketball coach, and Bernard Joseph, Lower School P.E. teacher and varsity football coach, as playing a huge part in his success behind the scenes. In addition to coaching varsity basketball, Mike teaches sixth grade P.E. and coaches Middle School football and track. He joined SSSAS with years of experience, including playing eleven seasons of professional basketball overseas in Poland, China, France, Turkey, and Iran, all of which hold a unique spot in his heart. Mike was also an assistant coach and head video coordinator for the Brooklyn Nets. When not in a gym, Mike is all about his family. He was raised in Oklahoma City, Okla., in a family with strong bonds. He spent much of his time outside playing basketball, football and hanging out with his friends and cousins, but Sundays were reserved for church. He and his wife, Marcia, have been married for 11 years and have two "awesome" boys, Major '27, and Maverick. Mike gets satisfaction from providing for his family and impacting the lives of young people. As for hobbies Mike says, "With two young kids, my hobbies include chaperoning them to sporting events, play dates, and birthday parties. Before I became a dad, I really enjoyed traveling and reading." Given the opportunity to relax, he would choose a day on the beach with family and friends.
What one piece of advice would you offer anyone who asks? The advice I would offer to someone is to work hard, be kind to others, and treat everyone with respect. What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand? I would wave my magic wand to stop racism and poverty. I know that's two, I just feel that the world would be a better place if all people were judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. For what in your life do you feel most grateful? I'm truly grateful for my supportive friends and family, my loving wife, and wonderful kids. What are you doing when you feel most alive? I feel most alive coaching basketball. I enjoy everything about the process of putting together a team. The grind of practice, breaking down film of our opponent, and helping players achieve our TEAM goal as well as their personal goals. What is the one place in the world you would like to escape to? The southern part of France, because of their nice beaches, weather, food, and wine. What is an incredible experience you've had that few others experienced? Well, great question. When I proposed to my wife we were in Dubai having dinner at a really nice restaurant. The next day we took a tour inside the only 7-star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, which was amazing.
Mike G. Jones III 44 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
SAINTS IN ACTION
Ian McLeod '09 Speaks at Upper School Honor Code Assembly The Upper School held their annual assembly in September, focusing on the school's Honor Code: “As a member of the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.” This SSSAS tradition promotes an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. The school welcomed back alumnus Ian McLeod '09, who gave an insightful speech about the importance of making good choices, upholding the values of the school, and following their own moral code. He talked about the challenges of starting his own company and the value of persistence, honesty, and following your heart. “For the first six months I was living with my parents, making $25 to $30 a week,” McLeod said. “It was really hard. I had to be resourceful and believe I could make it happen.” Ian is the founder and lead composer of Cleod9 Music, based in Washington, D.C. He started his company in 2014 and has since hired six additional composers to create music for an array of media. In five short years, Ian has created the soundtracks for award-winning documentaries and films. He has also scored national commercials for clients such as Red Bull, Nike, and National Geographic. You can catch his latest work on Netflix, PBS, and the Nat Geo channel.
Middle School Awed by Guest Speaker at Chapel On October 29 our Middle School welcomed Minister Brian K. Harris II from the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, D.C. He gave an inspiring chapel talk with a powerful message describing the two “keys to kindness:” kindness happens with you and kindness creates change in others and the world. “You have the resources and ability to use your kindness to help others, changing your school community, the community at large, the country, and even the world. You can pay it forward and create change in the life of someone else. That someone else can be the person sitting right beside you. Your kindness can save someone from a spiral of self-hate. Your kindness can wipe tears away. Your kindness can bring a smile to someone's day. Each of you has the power to create change in the world simply by the acts of kindness you show,” said Harris. Harris is a licensed minister, a powerful lecturer, a gifted performer, and a passionate educator. As a minister, he has helped to create several outreach ministries serving children, youth, fathers, singlemothers, and community schools.
Middle School Admission Director Ron Ginyard and Minister Brian Harris
www.sssas.org | 45
SAINTS IN ACTION
A Veterans Day Celebration This year the annual Veterans Day assembly was held at the Lower School on November 11 in honor of the servicemen and servicewomen in the Saints community. Boy Scout Troop 1515 and Girl Scout Troops 60084, 60071, 60065, and 60135 opened the ceremony with the posting of the colors, followed by the Upper School Jazz Band's performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Lower School Director Jalene Spain Thomas gave the opening prayer, The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh gave the Blessing of the Notes to Soldiers, the Lower School Choir performed “My Country, 'Tis of Thee,” and our Director of Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship, Valentina Raman, sang “America the Beautiful” with the Upper School Vocal Ensemble. The service closed with a moment of silence followed “Taps” performed by Charles Colby '20. The event concluded with a flag-raising ceremony outside Macan Hall.
46 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
Middle School Has a New Robotics Team The newly established Middle School robotics team, Terabyte Triceratops, is off to a great start this year, learning to create a simple robot in a few short weeks. The 12 team members broke down into smaller working teams, each focusing on a specific task that the robot must perform, such as navigating through traffic and around barriers, collecting and transporting blocks, and carefully placing and stacking blocks into position. The young engineers have been learning to work together, not only to create a more complex robot through a series of iterations, but also to document the process in their engineering notebook which tracks the teams' progress. The notebook is a required element of competing in the in order to tackle this year's FIRST Tech Challenge - Skystone.
Blessing of the Animals In remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi and his special love for all of God's creation, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School held an allschool Blessing of the Animals at the Lower School campus on October 5. Dozens of Saints families brought their dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, and photos of pets who could not be in attendance to receive a blessing from our school chaplains. They each also received a special card and “pet halo� to mark the occasion. It was a great opportunity for a school-wide pet playdate! The traditional event followed a beautiful outdoor chapel service held earlier in the day, where The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh and The Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales spoke of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. Students brought their stuffed animals and class pets to be blessed during the service.
www.sssas.org | 47
SAINTS IN ACTION
Upper School students participate in the conference as session leaders and organizers.
SSSAS Hosts Student Diversity Conference November 15 was a day of inspiration, empowerment, bonding, and fun—the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes sixth annual Middle School Diversity Conference welcomed more than 175 students from 15 schools to help them learn to be leaders in their schools and communities. The conference, “Building Bridges: Stories Told - Stories Heard,” allowed students to participate in interactive activities, engage in thoughtful conversations, and challenge themselves to examine who they are, why it is important, and the impact they can have on the world. The student sessions were led by SSSAS Upper School students who are leaders in the school's diversity efforts. Master storyteller and educator Diane Macklin was the special guest speaker. She enthralled the students with a storytelling performance and also led a session on the power of stories in education for the adult attendees.
48 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
The middle school years can be some of the most challenging, so it is the perfect time to give them the skills and confidence to make a difference for their generation. “We live in a complicated world, and students are aware of the circumstances that create a not-so-equitable society,” said KiKi Davis, SSSAS director of institutional equity and diversity. “It's important for middle school students to know they have the power to affect change. This conference gives them the tools and encouragement they need to be upstanders when they see injustice instead of the easier path of a bystander. We want to inspire them to go back to their school communities and support an environment where doing the right thing is the norm and those who seek to hurt others or engage in negative behaviors are the outliers. Students want to do the right thing; it is our job as educators to ensure that they are prepared to do so.”
FACE-TO-FACE WITH OUR FACULTY
V
alentina Raman is passionate about connection—connecting people to their truest selves, connecting people to each other in community, and connecting people with a larger vision for a better world—so it's no surprise she is our director of service learning and social entrepreneurship! In her role she teaches, facilitates workshops, and weaves connections between the school and the local community. She grew up in Birmingham, Ala., the first-generation American daughter of an Indian father and an Italian mother. Through her family, she learned to see the world through the eyes of many diverse perspectives and across several continents. Her parents cultivated her curiosity for learning and adventure, and instilled a commitment to creating a positive impact on the world and stretching beyond boundaries to see ourselves as one human family. Valentina says her students "have taught [her] how to 'flow with the vibes' and give space and time for their unique processes of growth." The Indian/Italian culinary heaven she was raised in gave her a love for exploring new cultures through food and sharing meals with others. A true globetrotter, Valentina has been to every continent except Antarctica, 32 U.S. states, and 28 countries. She sings and has a band with her husband and brothers-in-law called Brotherband. When not volunteering with EmpowerEd, ALIVE!, and Mother of Light, she can be found outdoors—hiking, backpacking, camping, and taking long walks. Valentina's favorite thing in the world? Her new husband, Jeremy Levine, of course! If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be? I wish I could communicate in any language – not just all world languages and dialects with their cultural nuances, but also the languages and vocabularies of all fields and disciplines, from computer science to law to music to religion. Much of the disconnection, failed collaborations, and painful separateness in our world stem from both barriers to deep communication and misunderstanding one another. What is something that you pretend to understand that you really don't? Music theory. With my husband being a jazz pianist, I am often around amazing jazz instrumentalists with extensive training in music theory, which I have very little clue about beyond what I picked up in classical piano lessons as a kid and my intuition. After jamming they usually crack some jokes about some key change or gnarly chord, and I just laugh with them even when I have no idea what is going on.
What the biggest adventure you've had in your life? My wedding was a week-long adventure (yes, a whole week) that began with a backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail with 40 friends and family members. We walked together for over 30 miles ending in our wedding venue: a farm on the edge of Catoctin State Forest in Maryland. Another 140 family and friends joined us to celebrate our "CathoHindJew" wedding, beginning with an Open Mic! (photo below of Valentina and Jeremy at their wedding) What makes you feel like a kid again? Doodling. When I was a kid, my teachers would get angry if they saw me doodling, so I perfected the art of sneakily drawing in my notebook. Now as an adult, I often disguise this art as "visual note-taking" in meetings where I'm primarily absorbing information rather than discussing or sharing. And sometimes, the best ideas come out as visuals first! What helps you persevere when you feel like giving up? When I feel like giving up, it's usually one of two reasons: I feel like what I'm doing doesn't matter or I am afraid of failure. I have different strategies for each situation. When I feel like what I'm doing doesn't matter, I ask myself "Why?" repeatedly until I get to the root cause, take responsibility, and make a choice to end or change what I'm doing. In the second situation, where I am afraid of failure, I ask myself "Why?" again. Usually, it's the opposite root cause as the first situation. I remind myself that I am not my goal–the goal lives beyond myself. What I am is a vessel for my deepest intentions, and staying true and connected to those intentions brings me joy and learning no matter the outcome. What are you doing when you feel most alive? I feel most alive when I'm dancing with others. I've been told that my entire face smiles when I dance. When we dance together, we are each expressing ourselves uniquely and authentically, aligning to a common rhythm, flowing with an energy beyond ourselves, and celebrating the JOY of being alive as humans.
Valentina Raman www.sssas.org | 49
SAINTS IN ACTION
Building Strong Bonds in the Fall Seniors and members of the Upper School faculty enjoyed two days together at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, Va., on the annual traditional bonding trip in early September. This special excursion creates lasting memories for the senior class and encourages class spirit. Through games, social activities, and teamwork exercises, the retreat gives students the opportunity to grow as leaders of the Upper School and to build relationships with teachers and administrators in a fun and relaxed environment. In the Middle School, the seventh and eighth grade classes each spent two days bonding in October at Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg, Va. Highlights for the eighth graders included caving, rock climbing,
50 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
canoeing, fishing, and tie-dying their Class of 2024 shirts! On their trip, the seventh graders worked together on team building skills and communications. Guided by the Camp Horizons staff, they completed team and individual challenges. They tackled the high ropes course and zipline, played basketball and games, like 9 square, and thoroughly enjoyed eating s'mores around a campfire. The sixth grade had a full day of activities both on and off campus, focusing on the school's mission of wellness and giving back to others. They started the day painting kindness rocks that were later hidden on the Lower School campus for our youngest students to find. After a pizza lunch, it was off on a field trip to the location of their choice, Ultrazone, Bowl America, Flight, Paint This, or Top Golf !
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FACE-TO-FACE WITH OUR FACULTY
T
homas Wolfe said you can never go home, but Saints lifer Katy Chase wouldn't agree. She is thrilled to be back at SSSAS teaching first grade and helping in extended day. She says, "It's comforting to see how much is the same and exciting to experience all of the new changes." In 2012 Katy fell in love with the Amazon while studying environmental science in Curitiba, Brazil. In 2015, having completed her B.S. in environmental science and her M.S. in education at Mary Washington University, Katy moved to Rio de Janeiro as a part-time volunteer with NGO Mais Caminhos and stayed five years—first teaching middle school students in Rio de Janeiro at a school serving children in need and then teaching kindergarten and first grade at a private K-12 bilingual school in Vitoria. The biggest reverse culture shock? The cold! Katy has learned patience and creativity from her students, and gets the most satisfaction from a job well done. She loves finding new ways to explain a difficult concept and watching her students' faces light up when they finally make a breakthrough. She is most passionate about teaching, but also loves the beach, dancing to Brazilian music, and Zumba classes. A world traveler, Katy has been to 18 countries around the globe. To relax she likes to read, go for long walks, or go hiking and canoeing at Burke Lake Park. What is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten? My favorite piece of advice comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance." He writes, "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." What is something that you pretend to understand when you really don't? How an airplane works! For someone who travels by plane often I worry an awful lot about turbulence…I know taking an airplane is the safest mode of transportation, but how does it work? No idea.
What is the biggest risk you have ever taken in your life? Moving to Brazil without a long-term plan or knowing anyone. What I thought would be six months turned into almost five years. Luckily, it worked out! I have learned that taking a risk is always worth it. What makes you feel like a kid again? Absolutely, without a doubt, it is teaching! It is amazing that no matter where you live in the world, children are universally similar. The same playground games, the same knock knock jokes… it all reminds me of my childhood. When did you first really feel like an adult? The first time I had to call and schedule a doctor's appointment in Portuguese. Turns out explaining insurance information in a second language is not so easy! What work of art has inspired you and why? "Course of an Empire" by Thomas Cole. I first studied these paintings in high school art history but I found myself looking back to them in college when I was studying environmental science. I think the commentary about humanity and our imperfect respect of nature is still relevant today. What is an incredible experience you've had that few others experienced? Attending the Olympics! I was fortunate enough to live in Rio during the 2016 Summer Olympics. I got to see field hockey, volleyball, rugby, and the basketball finals.
Katy Chase '10 52 | St. Stephen's Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
SAINTS IN ACTION
Celebrating 30 Years of the Normandy Exchange! This year the Normandy Exchange began with a French invasion in early November. Eighteen French students and two teachers arrived on October 30 for a five-day jam-packed visit, staying with their Saints host families. They attended classes, games, enjoyed the Upper School production of Shakespeare's “As You Like It,” toured Washington, D.C., and celebrated Halloween. Our Saints will visit them in France over spring break.
Fourth Grade Service Learning Efforts Exceed Expectations Wow! As a result of their annual Crenshaw Arcade in mid-November, the fourth grade collected 3,456 lbs of food this year crushing the record by over 200 lbs. Each year our Saints use their design-thinking skills to create an amazing arcade from reusable materials—inspired by the book “Crenshaw,” which includes themes about hunger and homelessness. To play, students and teachers donated canned goods and non-perishable
foods for tickets. The donations were sent to ALIVE!. In early December their classrooms were turned into bakeries for the 26th annual fourth grade bake sale benefiting Children's National Health System. Parents, students, faculty, and staff came out to choose from the amazing array of delicacies. The baked good sold swiftly, and the community raised $2,275. Fourth grade Saints organized the
baking, advertising, and pricing before the sale; made change during the event; and rolled the coins afterwards. The entire class and a group of volunteer parents made a trip to Target with their teachers to purchase many new toys, which will go into Dr. Bear's Closet at Children's National Health System for patients and their siblings to enjoy. The fourth graders delivered the toys to the hospital and places the gifts around the Christmas tree in the lobby. www.sssas.org | 53
SAINTS IN ACTION
National Geographic GeoBee Ten SSSAS Middle School students tested their knowledge in the final round of the school's 2019 National Geographic Bee, a school-level competition using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The final round took place in the Middle School gym, where students answered an array of oral and written questions, such as using map scales to find commonalities in regions around the world. During the competition, contestants were eliminated after answering two questions incorrectly, until two students
remained. In the championship round, the two finalists squared off to answer a series of three questions. Each student had 15 seconds to write an answer to the same question. The champion, Charles McElwain '25, will take a written test to attempt to qualify for the state-level competition. State qualifiers participate in an oral competition in the spring. The judges were Middle School History Teachers and Middle School Dean of Students and History Teacher Jon Japha moderated the event.
Dr. Karambu Ringer Visits Upper School On October 31, Dr. Ringer, the Founder and President of International Peace Initiatives in Meru, Kenya, shared her life's story and work with Upper School students. She is dedicated to supporting and funding initiatives that mitigate the effects of war, disease, poverty, and discrimination. During the course of the day, she met with history, government, and English classes to discuss leadership and the effects of colonization and imperialism, as well as holding an open session during lunch. The sessions were enlightening, powerful, and heartfelt. Dr. Ringer is the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from her alma mater, the University of Denver, for her work to uplift orphans and women living with HIV/AIDS from marginalization to self-resilience. She was also awarded the 2015 Master Scholar Award from the University of Denver for her contribution to educational excellence through her motivational talks and programs that empower students to use their education for community transformation. Dr. Ringer partners with Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an organization we also partner with for some of our global service learning trips.
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For more information or to make a gift today, visit
sssas.org/give, or contact Nicole Morrell, Director of Annual Giving, at 703-212-2715 or nmorrell@sssas.org.
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SAINTS ATHLETICS
BACK 2 BACK
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEMINARY HILL CUP BY BRIDGET HANLEY '20
event. “I'd love to get more involvement from the Middle School girls' teams to make them feel more a part of it, maybe in the capacity of ball girls or inviting them to watch the games and get shirts,” Coach Koroma said with a grin on her face. “We would like to invite Lower School Saints as well. I would love to see it become more of an all-school event like Sleepy.”
Founded in 2008, the Seminary Hill Cup (SHC) is an annual, spirited competition between St. Stephen's and St. Agnes and Episcopal High School girls' varsity and junior varsity teams. This year's competition took place on October 3 and 4, and the Saints brought the Cup home for the second year in a row. Forty-eight hours, 12 years of tradition, nine events, seven days of build up, six wins, five losses, one tie, two schools, and only one winner every 365 days. I interviewed our very own Coach Stephanie Koroma, director of girls athletics, about the Seminary Hill Cup (SHC) tournament. Many are familiar with her, but may not know exactly what her job entails. She has been a coach and a science teacher at SSSAS since 2004 and has seen how the spirit of Seminary Hill Cup has come to be and continues to blossom. When asked how the competition began, she explained that EHS has their annual Woodberry Forest football game and we have the well loved Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament, both school-wide celebrations of boys events. So, the desire developed to have a tournament that celebrates the girls. When SHC first began, the wins and losses between the schools' women's sports in the fall season were counted to determine a winner. But as time went on, it evolved first into a week-long, and now a two-day long event and celebration. With that comes a copious amount of strategic planning and organization from an administrative perspective.
56 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
When asked what goes into the preparation, Coach Koroma answered, “It keeps you busy, and this year it was trickier because it was earlier than in past years. It felt crunched in terms of putting it all together, but it is well worth the effort. I love seeing the energy the girls generate, and I see a difference today in how much more the athletes enjoy and embrace it than just five years ago.” Part of the planning includes a dinner before the main tournament day, which is a feast of pastas and treats, a night of karaoke and bonding, and an inspiring pump-up video, and stickers, pins, and cups for everyone. The addition of the Thursday night dinner only came to be three years ago and has evolved since then from a more serious evening with speakers to being care-free and a chance for the teams to bond with their teammates, as well as athletes playing other sports. We moved from a discussion about the changes that have occurred over time, to how Coach Koroma and the Athletic Department would like to continue to expand and grow the
What she hopes the girls will take away from the tournament? “Just the power of being on a team and the strength that women athletes are capable of,” she answered. “I don't want any of our girls to feel like there is any less opportunity for them and that they are equally appreciated.” I also spoke with cross country runner Morgan Lewis '22 and field hockey Captain Alex McEneney '20 what winning the cup meant to them and their teams. “The cross country team was really proud to be able to bring home the first point and help take the trophy,” Morgan responded. “We were proud to represent our school in a positive way and win.” Alex added, “Winning means a lot to me and the team, but it is also about getting a win for all the girls and the whole school.” As it was her last Seminary Hill Cup, Alex said that she hopes younger girls will maintain the SHC spirit in everything they do. “My advice is to always remember to have fun with your sport and treat yourselves and each other well to make the most of the season with the family you are forming,” she said. “These are your sisters and you are brought together for a reason. Whether you are undefeated or losing every game, stay positive always.”
BACK 2 BACK
THE SAINTS TAKE SLEEPY THOMPSON BY STORM The Saints took charge of the courts at the Sleepy Thompson Tournament again this year, winning their first game against St. Anne's-Belfield School by 9 points, the second against Catholic High School by 24 points, and the championship game against Hargrave Military Academy by 29 points. Historically, the Saints hold the record of the most wins overall at 11 championships, and this is the second time the Saints have won the tournament backto-back, the first time in 1989 and 1990. The students
supplied spirited and electrifying support at each game, cheering their team to victory. Three seniors and Head Coach Mike Jones were recognized at the awards ceremony for their achievements during the tournament. Andre Screen '20 was presented with the Patrick J. “Patty� McCarthy Defensive MVP and AllTournament Team awards. Andre logged 11 blocks, and 22 rebounds. Jared Cross '20 earned the Richard P. Babyak
Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament Team awards. Jared logged 49 points, 20 rebounds, and five steals. Chase Beasley '20 was named to the All-Tournament Team. He logged 12 assists and 24 rebounds during the tournament, as well as posting a double-double in the championship game. For the second year in a row, Mike Jones was presented with the Frederick Templeton Coach's Award.
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SAINTS ATHLETICS
GIRLS SOCCER Final Record: 8-5-3
Final ISL Standing: 5th (ISL AA Division) Selected as the No. 1 seed in the Northern Virginia Girls Soccer Invitational Tournament for the first time in school history.
Caitlin Bucceri '21
ALL-ISL (AA Division): Caitlin Bucceri '21 Caroline Lipton '21 Emily Smith '21
Caroline Lipton '21
BOYS SOCCER
Final Record: 9-7-2 Final IAC Standing: 3rd Final VISAA State Ranking: 3rd Made it to the IAC SemiFinals beating EHS in the opening round and made the VISAA state playoffs. ALL-IAC: Chase Albritton '20 Kyle Burbage '21 Bjorn Davidson '20 VISAA All-State First Team: Chase Albritton '20 VISAA All-State Second Team: Kyle Burbage '21 Bjorn Davidson '20 Bjorn Davidson '20 Kyle Burbage '21
58 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
TENNIS
Final Record: 5-9 Final ISL A Standing: 4th place Advanced to the ISL A Division Tournament Semi-Finals ALL-ISL (A Division): Mikki Taye '23
Mikki Taye '23
VOLLEYBALL
Final Record: 7-12-1 Final ISL A Standing: Tied for 4th Advanced to the ISL A Division Tournament Semi-Finals Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month: Chumani Chamberlain '21 ALL-ISL (A Division): NeAva Zayas '22 ALL-ISL Honorable Mention A Division: Abby Campbell '22
Abby Campbell '22
Claire Cavanaugh '20
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SAINTS ATHLETICS
FIELD HOCKEY
Final Record: 10-10-1 Final ISL Standing: 2nd place Advanced to the VISAA State Tournament as the 5th seed. Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month: Kathryn Atkinson '20 ALL-ISL: Kathryn Atkinson '20 Mira Majure '21 Nicole Moran '21 VISAA All-State First Team: Kathryn Atkinson '20 VISAA All-State Second Team: Cate Bradley '21
Mira Majure '21 Nicole Moran '21
FOOTBALL
Final Record: 4-6 Final IAC Standing: 5th Final VISAA State Ranking: 8th Defeated St. Albans on Homecoming Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month: Malcolm Johnson '21 ALL-IAC: Lamumba Howard '20 Malcolm Johnson '21 Irvine Madegna '21 VISAA All-State First Team: Lamumba Howard '20 Malcolm Johnson '21 VISAA All-State Second Team: Ewan Clarke '22 Irvine Madenga '21
Malcolm Johnson '21 Lamumba Howard '20
60 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
VISAA All-State Honorable Mention: Nyrique Butler '22 Tison Hill '21 Tyler Jones '20 Tyler Logue '20 Julian Mosley '21 Mike Vaughn '22 Darius Wilson '21
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY IAC Championship Meet Finish: 3rd place VISAA State Championship Meet Finish: 8th place Nathan Bezuneh '21 won the Alexandria City Championships. ALL-IAC: Nathan Bezuneh '21 VISAA All-State: Nathan Bezuneh '21
Campbell Cooper '21 Nathan Bezuneh '21
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY ISL Championship Meet Finish: 8th place VISAA State Championship Meet Results: 5th place Won the 12th Annual Seminary Hill Cup race to help the Saints win the Cup 7-2. ALL-ISL: Morgan Lewis '22 VISAA All-State: Morgan Lewis '22 Nyia Cummings '20 Morgan Lewis '22
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
In his spare time, he loves to coach boys and girls lacrosse and basketball for Ft. Hunt Athletics. He is a barefoot runner and also likes to play golf. Somehow, he manages to find time to play regularly with classmates from SSSAS. He knows his way around the kitchen, and has won a number of BBQ competitions. Christian and his wife, Holly, reside in Alexandria, Va., with their daughter, Spencer '23, and two sons, Walker '26 and Ford. We talked to Christian to learn a bit more about his years as a Saint and his aspirations for the AAB.
Q: You were in one of the first classes to
graduate after the merger in 1991. How did your experience during those years shape you as a graduate? Can you tell us how and why you have reconnected with the Saints community and why is it so important to you now?
CHRISTIAN FERRY '93 Meet the New Alumni Association President This fall Christian Ferry '93 assumed the role as president of the Alumni Association Board (AAB) from Glenn Archer '82. A glance at
the 1993 "Traditions" yearbook tells us a lot about Christian, who was voted "Mr. SSSAS" by his classmates. A born leader, Christian was class president during his sophomore and junior year, and was a Student Council Co-President in his senior year. He was on the debate team for three years, Model UN for two years, sang in "Mr. Cole's Choir," and participated in the Spanish and Chess Clubs. In addition to playing football and lacrosse and throwing shot put, Christian worked out in the Breakfast Club. In other
62 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
words, there was no grass growing under his feet as a Saint! After graduating, Christian received a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History from the University of Virginia and then began building a career in the political arena. He has run political campaigns in eight countries around the world and worked on four U.S. presidential campaigns. In 2008 he founded The Trailblazer Group, LLC, an international political and government relations consulting firm, after serving as the Deputy Campaign Manager for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
CF: The years leading up to the merger were a difficult time for the school. The debate over co-education and the way it would take place (either St. Stephen's doing it on its own or a merger of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes) divided the entire community—administration, faculty, parents, and students. We lost some remarkable teachers and good families during these years. I would be insincere to say that the difficulty of that time did not stick with me after graduation; I remained disconnected from the community for a long time. What changed for me was meeting Head of School Kirsten Adams. From the very start, she has worked to heal whatever fractures remain from that time. She has an understanding of where our school has been and what has made it great, and she has a vision for how to harness those traditions to make it even better for the future. That reconnection has given me the opportunity to provide a truly remarkable education to my children at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School and a lot of fun sharing common traditions with them. I'm grateful to know what a special place St. Stephen's and St. Agnes is today.
Q: In what direction would you like to
take the AAB during the next two years?
CF: Thanks to the hard work of past boards, particularly under the leadership of Montez Anderson '93 and Glenn Archer '82, the AAB is in a strong
Alumni Association Board Christian Ferry '93, President Yumi Rodriguez Belanga '96, Vice President Meredith Bentsen '11 Caroline Blair '11 Kristin Seith Burkhalter '97 Cam Burley '04 David Cogar '87 Andrew Cordia '09 Rebecca Dickerson '11 Karen Washington Franklin '73 Ann Morton Young Habliston '78 Alison Taylor Henry '02 Katherine Cooper Hoffman '87 Randy Hollerith '82 Barbara Butler Leonard '68 Danielle Mayall '11 Mary Olivia Cox MacLeod '71 Lisa Meltz '93 Chris Miller '05 Tori Miller '12 John Quinn '05 Andrew Sidle '78 Nate Solberg '04 Sam Teague '11 Meg Babyak Tucker '73 Jacob Willis '06
position with a clear strategic plan. I want to focus on how the AAB can create greater value for our alumni community and likewise, how that creates value for our school. There are more than 7,000 alumni of St. Agnes, St. Stephen's, and St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School; they are impressively accomplished men and women. Building connections for that community creates opportunity for everyone, whether it be the chance to just socialize, get advice about shared experiences, or even help someone find a new or better job.
Q: In what ways did your SSSAS
education prepare you for college and life beyond?
CF: Nothing from my SSSAS education
has been more important to me in college or my career than the ability to think critically and write. I remind myself frequently how fortunate I was to have
had Upper School English teachers Dr. Judy Brent and Mrs. Bonita Quinn teach me how to think about complex issues, formulate an argument, and translate it clearly to the written word. I am thrilled that today, in the era of emails, texts, and emojis, writing remains a focus at SSSAS.
Q: What is your favorite SSSAS event and why?
CF: I love the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament; it is a blast to go back with my children to the games now, even if they are too cool to sit with their old man. However, with my daughter now playing JV field hockey, this year was the first that I had the opportunity to experience Seminary Hill Cup. It was great to see such strong enthusiasm for women's athletics and to see SSSAS win the cup over Episcopal.
Get Involved! If you attended or graduated from St. Agnes School, St. Stephen's School, or St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, then you already are an important part of the Alumni Association. You can participate by being an active part of your Reunion, attending Alumni Association events, supporting The Saints Fund, and staying connected with the school and your class! Visit sssas.org/alumni/alumni-association to learn more about the AAB, or contact Meredith Robinson Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement 703-212-2769 mrobinson@sssas.org
Q: Did any of your teachers have a
profound or lasting effect on you? In what way?
CF: Many of them. I mentioned Dr. Brent and Mrs. Quinn. While I do not find myself using advanced mathematics anymore, Clifford Titus and Henry Biddle, two of my Upper School math teachers, remain role models for me of what a gentleman should be. Col. Robert Lynch, one of my Upper School history teachers gave me an interest in Russian history that I still have, but it is his real world advice and lessons about life that I continue to quote today.
Save the Date! Distinguished Alumni Service Award April 22, 2020
Sleepy Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament
Q: What is it like being a current parent
April 27, 2020
CF: One of the things that is fun about
Alumni Reunion Weekend
who is also an alumni?
it is that there are a good number of parent/alumni. It is a fine testament to the kind of community we have; when I go back for a school event with my kids, I almost always run into fellow classmates. Despite it being a different place today than 25+ years ago, the values that were important to the school when I was there remain. Like I do, I am certain my kids will look back fondly, and gratefully, on the men and women of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, who gave them the gift of an unparalleled education.
September 25-26, 2020 Classes ending in 0s and 5s
To keep up with all the alumni news and
information, please visit sssas.org/alumni
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Alumni Reunion Weekend Rates A High Five Rekindling Old Connections and Making New Ones October 18-19
"Our 50th Reunion was a wonderful experience. It was so special seeing classmates whom I hadn't seen in years. None of us has aged a bit! Highlights of the weekend were the Friday Classic Saints luncheon in Lloyd House, the Friday evening reception (I really liked the new venue at the Alexandrian Hotel), Homecoming on Saturday, including the barbecue at Kirsten Adams home, walking with my SAS and SSS '69 classmates at halftime, and of course our evening class party. The Classes of 1969 celebrated together and it was a blast! I had the pleasure of hosting at my house and the last folks left about 1 a.m. Can't remember the last time I was up that late. All in all a very memorable and fun weekend." v Barbie Frank '69 64 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
"What a wonderful opportunity to come back to school for my 55th Reunion and join Sean Finan's bright, special fifth grade class. I met happy and enthused students who were both welcoming and attentive. My only objectives were to be a good listener, to share my own experiences, and to show my genuine delight in visiting their class. Apparently, I succeeded. Such joy!" v Dr. David "Jake" Jacobson '64
66 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
"My reunion experience was better than I could have imagined. To have the experience of coming home, seeing everyone, and most importantly being able to celebrate my classmate's successes, absolutely filled my heart. What a great reminder that it's a great day to be a Saint!" v TrĂŠ Allison '14
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
"I can't believe that it's been 45 years since graduation! It seems like yesterday that I was talking to Miss McBride, cheering at a St. Stephen's game, or debating with my classmates about 'something.' :) Memories of St. Agnes are strong. I love the friendships created and missed so many classmates this year. I'm proud of my sister, Lydia Jones-Nunn '72, and my son, Philip Mullins '07, and how they continue to be examples of SSSAS values. v Laureen Mullins '74
"This year's Alumni of Color Brunch took place just before I moved to Los Angeles for a new adventure. It was beautiful to see familiar faces, befriend fellow alumni, and to be inspired and motivated by our experiences. Saints of color are a special community for me, and I was so glad to be able to celebrate one home while preparing for my next home." v Adrienne Allen '04
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"Alumni Reunion Weekend was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with the SSSAS community and catch up with old friends. Alumni traveled from near and far to enjoy the weekend festivities, and we certainly celebrated accordingly! I am making a point to see Saints more frequently and am already looking forward to our 10th Reunion year!" v Natalie Revers '14
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
"Our 25th Reunion was so much fun! It was great to reconnect with everyone and hear about what was going on in their lives. Some of us had been to almost every reunion and some had never been back since we graduated, but we all picked up like no time had passed. We all agreed that waiting another five years to get together is just too long!" v Jennifer Halsted '94
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NEW ADDITIONS Alumni
Sali Qaragholi Rakower '90 and Michael, a son, Samuel Joseph, September 2, 2019
Dennis Bakke, Jr. '01 and Whitney, a son, Brekken Erik, March 5, 2019
John Moran '03 and Fiona, a daughter, Audrey Rose, October 16, 2019
Caroline Rabbitt Tabler '05 and Andrew, a daughter, Adelaide Elizabeth, March 16, 2019 Matt Novogratz '97 and Nadean, a daughter, Liberty Dylan, July 6, 2019 Angel Veliz '01 and Lindsay Washington Veliz '01, a daughter, Yanay Jesselle, July 8, 2019
Brekken Eric Bakke
Faculty and Staff Eric Taylor (Upper School math teacher) and Jackie, a daughter, Delaney Harper, June 28, 2019 Nathan Andes (Middle School language teacher) and Jessica, a daughter, Charlotte Claire, October 24, 2019
Pauline Bauman (Middle School math teacher) and Josh Bauman (Middle School associate director), a daughter, Josephine Rose, November 1, 2019
Share Your News To tell us about the milestones in your life, please email Meredith Robinson, Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, at mrobinson@sssas.org.
Yanay Jesselle Veliz-Washington
Charlotte Claire Andes
Audrey Rose Moran
Liberty Dylan Novogratz
Delaney Harper Taylor
Samuel Joseph Rakower
Josephine Rose Bauman with older sister Mirabelle
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MILESTONES
WEDDINGS Alumni Jacob Willis '06 and Colleen Schening, June 8, 2019 Annabelle Killmer '07 and Harry Floyd '07, June 15, 2019 Susan Dow '05 and Patrick Orndoff, July 27, 2019 Lydia Ciavarella '10 and Wilson Kitchin, July 27, 2019 Caroline Nuckolls '07 and Colin Lucas, August 3, 2019
Susan Dow '05 and Patrick Orndoff
Alli Herget '10 and Drew Cole, August 10, 2019 Nicholas Smith '10 and Lindsey Crabill '11, August 10, 2019 Ian McLeod '09 and Tori Phillips, September 21, 2019 Sam Teague '11 and Hayley Coyle, October 12, 2019 Pooja Gupta '05 and Dave Curtin, October 19, 2019 Mary Lib Schmidt '09 and Joe Rooney, October 19, 2019
Faculty and Staff Valentina Raman (director of service learning & social entrepreneurship) and Jeremy Levine, August 17, 2019 Katie Hahn (kindergarten teacher) and Cody Stadler, July 4, 2019 Alli Herget '10 and Drew Cole
Colleen Schening and Jacob Willis '06 72 | St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
Caroline Nuckolls '07 and Colin Lucas
Joe Rooney and Mary Lib Schmidt '09
Alumni Sweethearts
Annabelle Killmer '07 and Harry Floyd '07
Lindsey Crabill '11 and Nicholas Smith '10
Hayley Coyle and Sam Teague '11
Pooja Gupta '05 and Dave Curtin
Valentina Raman and Jeremy Levine
Tori Phillips and Ian McLeod '09
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MILESTONES & IN MEMORIAM
IN MEMORIAM Alumni Emma Eschauzier Miller '59 November 2001 Robert LeTellier '81 April 6, 2016 Diane Chase Monroe '54 May 22, 2017 Frances Buttler Parsons '42 September 27, 2018 Bruce Watts '61 July 3, 2019 Dr. Jordan Burke '01 brother of Elizabeth Burke '04 and step-son of Dick Flynt '64 July 14, 2019
Voron Erich (Langsdorf) Xarya '92 July 16, 2019
Elizabeth “Lea” Fairchild mother of Charlie Fairchild '78, Pamela Fairchild '80, and mother-in-law to Sue Fairchild (former F/S)grandmother to Hunter '11, William “Duke” '05, and Charlie '03 Fairchild July 26, 2019
Suzanne Hunter Groscup '52 July 20, 2019 Robert “Bob” Agnew '69 August 19, 2019
Kathryn Byers Stender mother of Margaret Stender '74 and Vickie Stender Oakley '78 September 3, 2019
Roberta Graham Carter '52 October 10, 2019
Family & Friends Gail Matheson wife of Malcolm Matheson III '55,mother of Malcolm Matheson IV '79,sister-in-law to Pinkie H. Roe '54 and Lida M. Stifel '66 December 15, 2016
Ambassador William Green Miller father to William Lisel Miller '78 and Christopher Green Miller '82 September 22, 2019 General Donald H. Brooks father to Robin Brooks '81 October 12, 2019
A Gift in Honor of Eleanor Boothe Smith '57 The Rev. Mr. Smith and his family wanted to give the Lower School a gift in memory of Eleanor Boothe Smith '57 that would enhance the chapel experience for SSSAS students. Eleanor's time at St. Agnes was very special to her, and chapel played a particularly important role in her experience. On November 21, a memorial chapel was held in her honor to dedicate the family's gift, a beautiful set of liturgical banners representing different seasons. Mr. Smith attended with his daughter, Katherine Smith, and niece, Robin Perry '82. Mr. Smith gave a very moving homily, emphasizing Eleanor's 60th Reunion admonition “Give and forgive, abundantly.”
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The Rev. Edwin M. Ward Headmaster of St. Stephen's from 1982-1989 St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School is deeply saddened by the recent passing of former Headmaster Rev. Edwin M. Ward on October 29. Rev. Ward, who served as the head of St. Stephen's School from 1982-1989, encouraged teachers to lead by positive reinforcement and reward, and believed strongly in inspiration as a helpful teaching tool.
to the Saints of his day and on behalf of the alumni, we send our thoughts and prayers to his
Christian Ferry '93 shares, "For nearly a decade,
family."
Rev. Ward led St. Stephen's School with a commitment to living the Episcopal identify that
Before coming to St. Stephen's School, Rev.
continues to define St. Stephen's and St. Agnes
Ward was head of the Salisbury School in
School today. Even in challenging times, he
Salisbury, Conn., for 16 years. He served at St.
remained hopeful and optimistic about the future
Mark's School in Southboro, Mass., where he
of our school. He was an example of decency
was the chaplain and a faculty member. He was also the vicar of St. Mark's Church in Alabama. Rev. Ward graduated from Middlesex School and then earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University. He entered seminary after college and received his masters of divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, and later attended the Graduate School of Theology at the University of the South. During his career in education, he was a member of a number of academic institutions, including the National Association of Episcopal School (for which he served a three-year term as president) and the Headmasters' Association, a national council for a select group of headmasters. Rev. Ward also served as a trustee of St. George's School in Newport, R.I., the Marvelwood School in Cornwall, Conn., and the Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn. Rev. Ward is preceded in death by his wife, Allein. His funeral service took place on November 23 in North Carolina.
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400 Fontaine Street Alexandria, Virginia 22302 If the addressee no longer lives at this address, please contact the school: 703-212-2720 or atoman@sssas.org
EXPLORATION
FUN AND LEARNING IN THE LOWER SCHOOL OUTDOOR CLASSROOM